A Second Chance
by Silverwing-Mryddin
Summary: When a mysterious boy appears suddenly in Hogsmeade bearing similarities to a certain rascally Marauder with no plausible explaination as to how, tongues start wagging. Interests are piqued, agendas revealed, people seduced and plots plotted. ch 9 up.
1. The Prophacy

**Chapter 1**

**_I'm going to tell you a story.  
__You may like it,  
__Or you may not,  
__But all that matters is that I tell it like it happened  
__All those years ago in England  
__Where a hero rose from the ashes  
__Of a hopeless world  
__And fought for his country  
__His people  
__And those that he loved.  
__And the destiny that was his to fulfill  
__Also belonged to another,  
__One of his blood  
__Whom fate decided  
__Should fail in his mission.  
__It fell into the hands of another  
__To shape his destiny as he would  
__To teach the wayward son  
__Of war, and peace  
__Darkness and light  
__Of love and hate  
__And the forces of the universe  
__That drove him as they did  
__From the innocence of childhood,  
__To the experience of death.  
__But still he raged on  
__In an attempt to defeat  
__The cause of his suffering  
__And the suffering of countless others  
__Who were swallowed in the shadow of evil and pain.  
__And it all began with the Sibyl who spoke to the air,  
__of power and of the struggles of her people  
__to be free.  
__And this she said with unseeing eyes_**

_Born from the ashes  
__Baptized by fire  
__The Sun is his midwife  
__The Night, his desire  
__The Darkness, his teacher  
__The Moon is his nurse  
__The Stars keep his secrets, for better or worse_

_Born to misfortune  
__He knows only hate  
__Death's sickle he wields  
__To defy his own fate  
__The mark on his body  
__Warns all those he nears  
__That they fight a man who embodies their fears_

_Despair not, mankind  
__Though depressed and down-trod  
__He was born to avenge  
__The children of God  
__The cries of the oppressed  
__Can be heard from the streets  
__Calling for justice, the Dark Lord's defeat_

_Aided by Heaven  
__And also by Hell  
__Only Time may attest  
__To the stories I tell  
__Whether he wins  
__Or whether he dies  
__You will witness the story from his very own eyes_


	2. Carnage

Darkness was all around him. It was a pleasant darkness, like the womb, and he wished that he could stay in the darkness forever. He floated in the darkness for what seemed like eons, unaware of anything but the warmth, and the beat of his heart.  
Suddenly, light flared from his ribs and cut through the darkness with excruciating pain. And that was how he regained consciousness.

* * *

He broke out of it with a jolt, gasping and coughing with the pain. The hand that went to his ribs came away stained with blood and he carefully felt around to locate the source of his discomfort, which turned out to be a knife. His hand fluttered around the handle of the cruel dagger cautiously. With a gasp, he suddenly remembered everything. One did not have to see the blood-stained country side and the carnage, nor smell the sweetish scent of burning flesh to guess what had happened. They had won, but at a great price. He slowly made it to his feet, torn robes flapping gently in the soft breeze that ruffled the last few banners sticking up out of the ground like gory candles on a perverse birthday cake, and began to amble down the ruined landscape in search of survivors, praying with every pained step that they had made it. As he walked, a hand reached out and grabbed his ankle and he cried out in surprise. Hermione's face stared out at him from a pile of bodies and body parts, and he gently hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her out of the mess. Cradling her body to his own, he checked her pulse and the extent of her injuries.  
"You're alive" she said hoarsely.  
"Shh. You're hurt, don't talk 'Mione" he said, pressing his hands on her ribs to stem the bleeding, electing a pained cry from her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he whispered over and over desperately. She laid a shaking and gentle hand on the handle sticking out of the left side of his ribs.  
"You're hurt too silly" she said, making an attempt to smile past the pain.  
"It doesn't matter" he said, righting her crooked legs. A red rose of blood bloomed on her shirt and her eyes rolled up in her head. He realized that a rib had punctured the skin and he moaned in panic. Her breathing was becoming shallow and labored and he scrambled to find means of stopping the bleeding.

She stopped breathing and went limp.  
"No, no, dear god no. Please Hermione, stay with me" he sobbed into her hair, rocking back and forth with her in his arms. "Please." But she was beyond response. Shaking, he lay her down gently and covered her with whatever remained of his robes, and walked on.

* * *

Trembling and sobbing, he walked on, passing the bodies of friends and comrades arranged over the fields like a sick tableau in shades of red. What remained of Kingsley Shacklebolt lay scattered in between the bodies of the Death Eaters he had managed to take down before succumbing to a sectumsempra and their names cycled in his head as he identified them; Rudolphus Lestrange, Alecto Carrow, Fenir Greyback, Amycus Carrow and Marcus Flint, followed by bits and pieces of others. Neville Longbottem had fought with Nagini and won, but had died, in a twist of cruel fate, by Bellatrix Lestrange's hand. He suddenly glimpsed red hair in the distance and began to run toward it. It was Ron, cold, pale and silent, blue eyes opened in surprise and staring glassily up at the sky as if to ask, _what did we do, to deserve this?_ The sky had no answer, and neither did he. Kneeling gently, he closed Ron's eyes and uttered a silent prayer.  
Another flash of color forced him to move on, but instead of finding another Weasley, he stumbled open the body of Lily Potter. Numb and shocked, he stared at the bodies of James, Lily, and their daughter Jenny, then turned around and vomited. He went on.

* * *

The knife was beginning to burn like a red hot poker in his side when he finally reached the crest of the hill. Ginny was waiting for him there, red hair billowing in the breeze, cradling something to her chest. When he neared, she grinned crazily at him, and he realized that something was very, very wrong with her.  
"Look!" she exclaimed madly, thrusting a severed hand at him. He recoiled him horror.  
"It's Georgie." she said matter-of-factly. "If I plant it, he'll grow back" she cradled it to her chest again and began petting it. "Momma won't wake up, and Dad went boom! But Georgie wouldn't leave his Ginny" she said. "Here!" she said, throwing it at him. He took a step back in horror and fell over the other side of the hill, rolling without any hope for an end until the sharp point of a spear through his sternum stopped his momentum.  
"Hurk" the sound came from his mouth as all the wind was knocked out of him and the pain increased tenfold. It felt as though a Dementor had thrust its hand into his chest and squeezed his heart, and the pain nearly made him black out again. Falling on his side, he snapped the spear off at his chest, vomiting blood as he did so. Gasping and coughing, chest heaving, tasting pennies in his mouth, he crawled on doggedly. There was a wand lying there in the grass before him, and he did the first thing that came to his mind.  
"Point me Harry Potter" the wand spun and rested in his palm again, pointing forward. He crawled on.

* * *

The little town which had served as the location for the final stand-off between Harry Potter and his nemesis Voldemort used to be called Hogsmeade, but now it had no name. It was only a crater, the effect of countless destructive and powerful spells hurled at each other. Whatever remained of Voldemort himself-and there was not much- lay at the eastern side of the crater, whilst Harry Potter, spread eagled and unconscious, was sprawled at the western side. The reaction of their wands had thrown the opponents to opposite ends. The mortally wounded boy stumbled into the crater, falling heavily to his knees and crawling to Harry.  
"Harry, wake up" he whispered desperately. Talking was becoming difficult, and every now and then, blood would flow in thick streams from his mouth. Harry's eyelids fluttered weakly, and then they opened.  
"You're hurt" he said, breathing laboriously. The boy rolled his eyes in an attempt to be funny.  
"Everyone keeps saying that" he coughed, "It's not that bad"  
Harry laughed weakly "Liar." his hand brushed the boys face gently, touching the gash that started just below his right eye and ended just before his chin in a delicate arch reminiscent of a bloody tear tracking its way straight down his face. The boy winced in pain.  
"The others?" harry asked hesitantly. He knew the answer before the other could even open his mouth. He saw it in his face, and closed his eyes in sorrow.  
"We still have each other eh coz?" said the boy softly. His vision came and went and he struggled to remain conscious.  
"I love you Adrian." Harry said quietly.  
"How?" he said between gasping breaths "I failed you all. I failed."  
"No you didn't"  
"I did. If I had spent more time honing the Sight then training, this would never have…." He couldn't speak anymore. He was fading fast. Harry didn't answer. He had passed away quietly, but Adrian didn't notice, because by then, the darkness overtook him again and he drifted on dark seas, unaware of the warm weight that settled with a caw on his chest, or the brilliant flash of light that meant the end of everything he knew.

* * *

Revised 04/21/2010


	3. Eden

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

I realized that some may have gotten confused as to who was narrating…I intended it to be that way; I wanted the readers to think it was Harry, until the point that Harry's wand was found. I also didn't give Adrian a description for a reason, but you'll get one soon, probably in the next chapter if it all works out. It may have been confusing, but it was intentional. Hopefully it won't deter you from continuing to read this story, so, here we go!­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Opening his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings. _Where am I?_ he thought. It couldn't have been a room, for there was no furniture, only a never-ending expanse of white. He stood up slowly, mindful of his injuries, to get his bearings, only to discover that: a) He was completely naked, and b) There was a giant burn on his chest.

He touched it gently, expecting pain, but there was none. He wracked his brain for anything, any idea, as to where he was.

"You are in Heaven" echoed a disembodied voice.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

"My name is Raphael" said the voice. He reached for his wand, only to remember he didn't have it with him anymore. _It's probably still on the battlefield_.

"Show yourself!" He shouted up at the general direction of the voice

"Do you not trust me, Adrian?" asked the voice gently

"How do I know you aren't an enemy? I'm in a white room with no clothes, no weapons and a burn on my chest!"

A soft pulsing light appeared in the middle of the 'room' and gently began to expand with pulses that sent shockwaves through the room, unbalancing Adrian and making him fall as a result. Suddenly the light dimmed, and in its place stood a man. He had a handsome tanned face framed by dark brown hair, grey at the temples. Kind brown eyes looked down at him. He was dressed in a simple white tunic, a sword strapped to his side.

"No, an Angel" Raphael corrected, unfurling his white wings.

"You can hear my thoughts" Adrian stated, standing upright with a wince. The Angel nodded.

"Why am I naked?"

"Well, you can't take it with you, right?" he said jokingly

"Yeah, very funny" he said sarcastically "Will you give me some answers or am I stuck here?"

The Angel's expression became solemn and serious, as he motioned towards the young mortal. "Come, walk with me"

They walked side by side, Adrian with a slight limp and Raphael with his arms at his sides, looking pensive. As they walked on, the white was slowly changing. Here and there were streaks of blue, or green, followed by yellow, purple, red, orange and every color imaginable until they were in the middle of a garden. The grass was long and yellow green and swayed in the wind, Trees rose up; gnarled, twisted and majestic, water welled up and became swift flowing rivers, clear as glass. The trees bore fruit, and the garden filled with the sweet and heady scent of it. Animals appeared here and there and Adrian named them in his head, because his jaw couldn't seem to work. After being in a place where death was rampant and all-consuming, to witness things growing, living and coming into being around him was almost too much to take. As if reading his thoughts, Raphael gently grabbed his shoulder to steady the young man.

"Welcome to Eden" he said as the Sun burst forth in all its brilliance from behind fluffy clouds. Adrian stumbled back, nearly blinded, only to be steadied by a firm hand.

"Come with me, Son of Adam, and I will answer your questions" said the Angel and led him towards a magnificent tree whose branches stretched towards the sky, as if supplicating the Creator. They sat in its cool shade, and the Angel arranged his tunic and waited for his companion to make himself comfortable before speaking.

"You are wondering why you are here Adrian, are you not?" at his nod, Raphael continued "You know where people who chose the same path as you did end up Adrian. Tell me"

"Hell" said Adrian in a strong voice. The Angel nodded

"Then why am I here? I don't deserve to be here" he said softly

"You are right, but not for the right reason." Adrian looked up in surprise

"It is not your time. You cannot die yet."

Adrian stood up angrily "So you're going to send me back?! What about the others? What about Harry and Hermione and Ron, what about their families and friends? It wasn't their time either and I don't see them up here!"

"Adrian…" the Angel began

" NO! They didn't deserve to die! Why can't you do something? You're an Angel for heavens sake! Are you just going to stand aside and let this happen?!"

The Angel's eyes darkened and thunderous rain clouds formed over head as he stood up in a fury as lightning streaked the sky and rain fell fast and hard on the angel and his companion.

"SLIENCE MORTAL! You know not of what you speak! You wallow in self pity and wait for others to fix things! You should be thankful that you'll live on Earth and not go to Hell for your Sins! DO NOT BE A MARTYR!"

Silent, pale and ashamed, Adrian sat with his back against the tree trunk and drew his legs up to his chest.

"You're right" he said softly as the sky cleared and the anger left Raphael's eyes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking"

"Oh Adrian, you are still young. You still have many things to learn" said the Angel kindly as he helped Adrian up. "We should go"

As they began to leave the Garden of Eden, another angel flew out of the sky and landed softly by Raphael and began whispering in his ear. He had slightly curly shoulder-length blonde hair and a round cherubic face with hazel eyes and a smattering of freckles across his nose. The tunic he wore was one shouldered and a simple white and he was holding something in his hands. Finished with their conversation, Raphael and the other Angel turned to him.

"Adrian, this is Gabriel. He brought you something to wear." Gabriel handed him a one shouldered tunic like his own.

"Thanks" he said, slipping it on. "But why do I need it? I thought I was going back"

"There has been a change of plans. Follow me" said the senior Angel cryptically

Adrian and his two companions left the garden and walked onwards slowly and leisurely.

As he looked around him, Adrian could see nothing but blue skies and green hills. It brought a sense of peace and calm to the three as they walked up and down hills, never becoming exhausted or short of breath. As they descended the last hill, a small pond became visible ahead of them. The clear water ripped with the wind and the trees surrounding it swayed softly, beckoning him with their branches as birds flew overhead.

Adrian looked at his companions in confusion.

"First we must cleanse you of your Sins" said Gabriel as he took Adrian's arm. Raphael took the other and Adrian allowed himself to be led to the waters edge.

"This might hurt" Gabriel warned. They slowly waded into the pond. Adrian winced. A white hot burning was beginning at his feet and getting higher up as they went deeper into the pond. He stopped when he was knee deep in the water and the angels looked enquiringly at him.

"Do I have to keep going? It hurts"

"It is the price you pay. Many have had worse" said Raphael, not unkindly. Adrian nodded and they continued. When they reached chest level, Adrian thought he would pass out from the pain, it burned so intensely. As the pain increased, he saw inky black tendrils snake out from his chest until the entire pond was black except for a tiny circle of water surrounding him. Then the blackness rushed back at him. He screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

He awoke to find himself on a grassy knoll. Raphael helped him up and he staggered before being supported by Gabriel.

"There's something you need to know" said Raphael, leading him to the glassy pond. "Look. What do you see?" he asked, pulling Adrian's tunic off of his chest. He gasped. On his chest, reflected in the glassy water was the burn.

"That's not a burn" he said wonderingly

"No" Gabriel confirmed "It is a mark of Light. Can you see it?" Emblazoned on his chest was a Phoenix, its wings spanning his chest, slightly folded, its head and neck reared back in a way that the Phoenix's eye was situated over his left one and its beak continued for a bit over the bridge of his nose. Its tail and body were hidden by the tunic. It was a glorious fiery red-orange.

"How did this happen?" he asked, touching his face with wonder.

"What is the last thing you remember?" asked Raphael gently. Adrian screwed his eyes shut in intense concentration.

"I…I found Ron, then…Hermione? Yes. Uncle James, Aunt Lily, Jenny. Neville. HARRY! I found Harry. He…killed…himself. I couldn't…couldn't do it alone." Tears were tracking down his face, mingling with the blood. "I slit my throat" he whispered.

"And then what happened?" asked Gabriel softly.

"There was something on me…on my chest. Then pain. Just pain." Raphael nodded. "A Phoenix marked you. Do you know the prophecy Adrian?"

" 'One can't live while the other survives'? Yeah I know that one."

"No, the other one. The one about you" said Gabriel

"There's a prophecy about me? How come no-one ever told me?"

"Because it doesn't exist in your world. This prophecy was revealed in an alternate world, one that is parallel to yours." said Gabriel calmly

"Parallel" Adrian mused "That means Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their families are still alive! Does that mean my mother is alive too?"

"Unfortunately, some things are different there too." Raphael said solemnly as he led Adrian to the base of another tree. Adrian's brow furrowed on confusion, but he sat down and waited patiently for Raphael and Gabriel's explanation, rubbing his chest unconsciously.

"Hermione, Ron and their families are alive. However, instead of your mother giving up her life to save you, Harry, Lily and James, James and Lily gave their lives to protect Harry. Your mother died not long after and so did you. Both of you were killed by Peter Pettigrew, while your father had gone out to buy you a broom." said Raphael quietly. Adrian sat there in shock. "What about my father?" he asked hesitantly.

"When he heard of what Pettigrew had done, he hunted him down, apprehended him without any casualties and sent him to Azkaban. He is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts in the world. Being Harry's godfather, He and Remus Lupin raised Harry together." said Gabriel

"He didn't go to the Dursleys!" he said with a smile.

Raphael smiled back "No."

"Thank God" said Adrian "If I'd almost gone nutters there, I couldn't imagine Harry surviving for very long. What does this prophecy have to do with me anyway?"

So they told him.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­15 minutes later….

"So, let me get this straight. I'm supposed to help Harry defeat Voldemort, I get that. What I don't get is the "Creature of darkness" part. I'm not evil"

"That is a common misconception. Just because something is dark, it does not mean evil. Do you not remember your childhood?"

"I'd rather not, thanks" said Adrian darkly "I don't see the need to anyway"

"When you were a child, (in your world of course) you were sent to live with the Dursley's correct?" asked Raphael

"Yeah. A screw-up on the part of a dung-for-brains Auror. It's too bad Harry and I looked so much alike as babies. The idiot practically stole me from the rubble."

Raphael blinked and continued on. "Do you remember what happened the day you were supposed to clean the kitchen?"

"Yeah…" said Adrian with a dark scowl.

**FLASHBACK**

"_You stupid little FREAK!" Vernon Dursley yelled, dragging a 6 year old Adrian by the arm towards the kitchen, his giant sweater and baggy pants making him look even younger then the malnourished boy already was. The little boy cringed. _

"_I didn't mean to knock over the flour bin Uncle Vernon, honest!" he said desperately._

_The huge beefy man threw him into the table, his head smacking a table leg. He whimpered._

"_I TOLD you to CLEAN the kitchen you IDIOT! You're WORTHLESS you FREAK!" he shouted and kicked the boy viciously in the ribs smiling nastily at the cracking sound and the scream. "Stop making noise and clean this place AT ONCE! YOU HEAR?"_

_He then grabbed a fistful of the boy's hair and slammed him against the stove. _

"_NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID YOU FREAK!" he screamed, pointing at the blood on the floor. He punched the little boy hard in the stomach. Adrian couldn't even scream, thanks to his broken ribs. He coughed up blood weakly. "Stop….please" he whispered._

"_What did you say, you little shit?" No. answer came, for all of his will was put towards breathing and staying conscious. _

"_Don't want to talk now, do you?" Vernon asked nastily, a manic gleam in his piggy eyes as he bent down to look at the boy. "I'll deal with you once and for all. You've been a burden on this household for too long and its going to stop now!" he said as he dragged the half-dead boy through the hall and dumped him in a sad bloody heap by the door. He lumbered off and came back with half a dozen ratty blankets and a flour sack with Adrian's few possessions inside. He hummed softly to himself as he wrapped the boy in the blankets and opened the door. Taking a peek outside, he looked around cautiously. It was 10:00 at night and he doubted that anyone would be watching. With that comforting thought, he dragged the blanketed boy and his possessions into the truck of his car, carefully making sure no blood got anywhere. He stopped in the garage for a can of petrol and some matches from his toolbox. Jingling his keys and whistling happily, he drove off, unaware that he was being followed by a cloaked figure. A very imposing cloaked figure. The figure had been watching Adrian ever since he was a baby because he'd felt some irresistible pull towards the unusually bright child and delighted in helping the boy whenever he could. To him, the boy was extremely special, and he mused that one day the boy would do great things._

_Though Vernon Dursley drove fast and took many turns to avoid being followed, the cloaked figure was always not far behind, wanting to try and save the boy. Adrian could see it through the side window of the car. Finally, the car stopped with screech and a jolt. Suddenly the trunck opened, with a rush of cool night air that stung the cuts on his face and he licked his dry and cracked lips as the silhouette of his uncle appeared. He stirred feebly as his uncle threw him out of the car and dragged him over to a pile of rubbish. They were in the landfill near the edge of town. Adrian dimly noted that is was 11:58 pm by the glowing numbers of his uncles digital watch as a cool liquid began to slosh over him and the blankets. It had a sweetish burning smell and Adrian knew at once that it was petrol. He knew he was probably going to die, but it didn't bother him that much anymore. His uncle's watch beeped 12:00 am as the first lit match touched the petrol soaked blankets, and Adrian went up in flames. At least 20 minutes had passed before the cloaked figure located them and attacked. With lightning fast moves, it threw Vernon Dursley so hard against the car that the grossly overweight man was completely and totally unconscious. It then hurried toward the flaming bundle of blankets and pulled Adrian out of the blazing inferno. His injuries were horrendous. His right hand was completely devoid of skin and the arm so badly burned that bone showed through. His cheek had melted away and his hair was all gone but his neck and part of the left side of his face had been protected by the blankets. The skin of his chest was badly burned and blistered. So the figure did the only thing that came to his mind. He extended his fangs and bit his neck gently, drank some blood, then made the boy drink some of his blood. As he watched and waited, muscle that had been lost came back, skin grew back and hair sprouted from his head, dark, curly and gloriously thick, cuts healed and bones mended. And in the early hours of the morning, at the break of dawn, Adrian Black became a vampire._

* * *

"So that's what you meant" said Adrian "Darkness being my teacher obviously meant vampire"

"It could be" agreed Gabriel "Do you remember his name?"

"Orpheus" said Adrian slowly "and his sisters' name was Selene. Wait a minute. Darkness was my teacher and the Moon my nurse right…" The two angels nodded. "Orpheus means 'The darkness of night' and Selene literally means 'Moon' if I remember correctly." The angels nodded again, pleased that he'd made the connection so quickly.

"Well" said Adrian, sounding surprised "I never thought I'd see the day when Professor Trelawney's 'name meanings lesson' came in handy"

He cocked his head and looked at Raphael and Gabriel "Is that why going into the pond hurt so much? Because I'm a vampire?" Raphael and Gabriel glanced at each other.

"We believe so" said Gabriel

"So I'm not a Vampire anymore?" asked Adrian curiously

"You still are a vampire…that is one thing we cannot take from you"

"But we can make it better" said Gabriel

"Oh?" said Adrian, arching an eyebrow

"The High Council" said Raphael, glancing again at Gabriel "has agreed to give you a second chance"

"Meaning, we make you an angel, and send you to the world parallel to yours" said Gabriel smoothly

"The one where everyone's alive?" Gabriel nodded. The smile disappeared from his face and he narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously, leaning forward.

"There is no catch. By giving you a chance to fulfill your destiny, we're giving you a chance to save all those you love."

Adrian sat back, thoughtfully. "Oh. How will you make me an Angel though? Wouldn't that conflict with my vampiric nature?"

"We aren't sure" said Gabriel hesitantly "Are you still willing to try?" Adrian nodded.

Raphael stood up. "Kneel and take your tunic off" Adrian slipped off his tunic then knelt.

Raphael plucked two of his flight feathers, one from each wing. The then knelt across from Adrian, pressed each feather to a shoulder blade and recited an ancient chant.

"Nomen lux lucis quod quicumque est bonus, Utor vestri vox pariter ut vos mos, Paro ligatio solvo, Angelus vos ero"

The feathers began to glow with a bright light that quickly enveloped Adrian as Raphael stood back. The two angels could see Adrian's naked form writhe as the ball of light floated off of the ground, levitating Adrian with it. His back arched as his wings attached themselves to his shoulder blades and began to grow. As the process finished, the light vanished, dropping Adrian gently on the ground, wings folded, panting from exertion.

"That hurt" he said matter-of-factly as he stood up tall, injuries forgotten, ands stretched his wings happily. He had to admit, his wing span was impressive for a newly created angel. But instead of a pure white, they were a silvery grey. He looked at the Angels inquiringly as he slipped on his tunic and Gabriel volunteered an explanation.

"It is possible that your wings are that color because you are, in essence, a hybrid. There has never been a vampire who became an angel and there have never been any liaisons between the two…anything is possible"

"Wow. So I can have powers from both?"

"Or completely new ones…" mused Raphael

"Who knows?" said Gabriel with a shrug. There was a slight sound around them and Adrian closed his eyes and strained his ears to catch what it was. Raphael and Gabriel were also alert, eyes sharp and searching.

"It sounds like a…horn?" asked Adrian. Raphael nodded his agreement.

"They've readied the portal. We'd best be going"

"Wait" said Adrian as they began to move "You'll be sending me there buck naked with no wand?"

"No. You'll be wearing the clothes you were wearing on the battlefield and your wand will be close by. Unfortunately, you'll be unconscious, because that's the state you're currently in right now" said Gabriel

"So I'm not dead?" he asked, confused

"No" said Raphael patiently "Fawkes managed to heal your wounds as he marked you" Adrian touched the gash below his right eye. "So all this is healed right now?" he asked, gesturing to his injuries.

"Some are and some aren't. For instance, your ribs are healed, but that gash below your eye and the one on your leg will heal, but never fade because they are curse scars" said Gabriel. The horn sounded again.

"We should hurry. The gates might close soon" said Raphael and the three angels walked briskly towards the sound. As they neared the gates, they passed many gardens each as equally beautiful as the last, some with people, and some without. Some even consisted of only babies. Adrian paused when a little girl ran up to him and clung to his leg. He bent down and smiled at her. She smiled back shyly and looked at him with ice blue eyes, smiling so wide that he could see some missing teeth. He ruffled her wavy black hair and waved good bye, then, as they were walking, asked Raphael "Why were there only kids there?"

"Those are the children waiting to be born" he said as they finally reached the gates. They were golden and delicate, exquisite works of art, the designs were elegant and curved and almost…sensuous. They opened gently without a sound, and Adrian could see nothing beyond them but fluffy clouds. He stepped forward then looked back at the two angels who'd helped and guided him.

"Thank you" He said with a soft smile

"Goodbye Son of Adam and good luck" said Raphael with a smile

"I hope we do not meet again soon" said Gabriel with a grin

"Me neither" said Adrian, grinning back as he stepped onto the clouds and was swallowed by white light.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

**Latin translation(roughly): In the name of light and all that is good, To use your powers as well as you should, Set the imprisoned free, An Angel you will be **

**Whew…that took awhile. I hope everyone liked it! Stay tuned for the next installment…..and if you have ANY questions feel absolutely free to take 3 or 4 minutes out of your day and email me. I'll get back to you ASAP!! **


	4. Discoveries

Chapter 4

If Adrian had been awake, he would have been happy to know that he'd made it safely, clothed, and with his wand close by. But of course, being unconscious, he'd have no idea.

He didn't know that he was still in the same spot he'd collapsed in, except that the scenery had changed radically, and for the better, or that he wasn't surrounded by dead bodies anymore, but only trees, taverns and snow. Oh, yes. Snow.

* * *

To say that Madam Rosmerta was tired was the understatement of the century. The winter weather always brought a rush of people to The Three Broomsticks for her delicious Butterbeer and warm spiced pumpkin juice, and by the end of the day, she'd be plumb tuckered, but happy. Smiling faces always made her day. As she was wiping the last of the spilt Butterbeer from the tables and cleaning the snowy floor, there was a blinding white flash just outside. Rubbing her eyes in surprise, she decided to go out and see what it was. _But,_ she thought sensibly, _not without help._

She motioned to one of the regulars, who'd also seen the flash and was moving towards her, his wand drawn. "Brian, did you see that?" she asked

"Sure did." he said "'m not sure what it is though". She looked through one of the windows cautiously before she turned to him and beckoned the brown haired man closer.

"We should go see what it was." she whispered. "Together" she added

"Why are we whispering?" he whispered back

"It could be a trap" she whispered, edging quietly to the pub's door, skirts gathered in one hand, wand in the other.

"Oh. Right" he whispered, and followed after her. The duo carefully spread out amongst the trees near the back of the pub, where they thought the light had come from. Brian was about to give up searching and claim that it must have been accidental magic when Rosmerta tripped over something.

"Oof" she said as she landed hard in the snow. Brian hurried over and helped the curvy woman up.

"What was that?" she asked, rubbing her sore bottom with a wince. Brian shrugged.

Rosmerta went ahead of him and managed to get past some trees. Brian hurried after her, somewhat reluctantly, when he heard her cry out.

"Sweet Merlin" she breathed. Brian gasped beside her. There was a boy in the snow, which was already stained a faint pink. She hurried over to him and knelt in the snow beside him.

"Is he dead?" asked Brian as he knelt on the boys other side.

"Not yet" said Rosmerta grimly "But he will be if we don't get him out of this cold. Here, grab his legs" she said as she gently grabbed his arms, and together, they half ran, half walked back to the pub, carrying the unconscious boy between them.

The pubs door banged open as Rosmerta tackled it with her shoulder, bringing a gust of crisp winter air with them. Thankfully, everyone had left, as it was getting late. With a flick of her wand, she brought two tables together and motioned Brian to help her gently set the boy on top of the tables. Brian huffed and puffed in exertion, hands on his knees.

Now that they were in a warm place with better lighting, Rosmerta took a minute to study the boy. His face was narrow, _with lovely cheekbones _she thought. He was very pale and there was a blue tinge to his lips and cheeks, which made the blood stand out even more then it already was. There was a gash below his eye, caked in dried blood. His shirt could have been white at one point, but was now grey, tattered and stiff with dried blood. The Hogwarts crest was still visible, but threadbare. She began to move her fingers over his body, probing gently to see if there were any cuts or broken bones. When she poked his right leg gently, it twitched and her fingers came away bloody.

"Cor" breathed Brian

"Well don't just stand there Brian" She commanded firmly "Bring me my medicine kit please. It's behind the bar, second shelf. Thank you dear" She took the box, set it down at the end of the table and opened it.

"Let's see what we can do" she murmured as she took a pair of scissors out of the kit and cut off what was left of his shirt. His chest was covered in so much dried blood, it was hard of her to see where he was injured.

"Get me some hot water please. It's in the kettle at the back of the range. Yes that one. Thank you, Brian. Oh, and some towels too. Lots of towels." Having gathered what she needed, Madam Rosmerta got to work. Using a towel soaked in hot water, she gently dabbed away at the blood on his chest, asking Brian to keep an eye on his pulse, which he did. When she finished, she'd gone through 2 towels, which were now a brown-crimson. She examined his chest as Brian left to draw clean water. She winced as she began to prepare bandages.

"How's he doing Rosie?" asked Brian, returning with more hot water

"Better, now that he's out of the cold" she replied "But I still don't like his color" She grabbed a jar of paste out of the medicine kit and began to gently apply it to the deep cuts on his chest.

"Who do you think 'e is?" asked Brian, looking at the boy's pale face.

"I dunno" said Rosmerta, bandaging his chest. "Sit him up for me, will you? I just have to wind these bandages 'round his back"

Brian obliged and gently brought the youth into a sitting position, his head lolling against Brian's chest. When Rosmerta finished, Brian slowly and carefully lay the boy back down on the table. As she began to clean the gash on his face, she studied him some more. There was something familiar about the boy. With his long, thick, raven black hair, thick black eyelashes and pale skin, he looked angelic. There was a small mole right above his upper lip, on the left side of his mouth. When she put a bandage on the gash, she decided to check his eyes. _I should make sure he didn't go blind_ she thought to herself as she gently raised his eyelid. His eye was a beautiful dark blue and completely fine. All of a sudden, she gasped and motioned to Brian.

"Brian…who does he look like to you?" she asked, still gently holding up his eyelid. Brian took a minute to study the boy's face. A spark of recognition appeared in his grey eyes.

"Why, I'll be damned" he said, surprised "'e looks just like…"

"Sirius Black" said Rosmerta in wonder, gently lowering his eyelid. Then she turned to Brian. "Brian, go fire-call Poppy Pomfrey, she's the best Healer I know." As Brian hurried away to find the Floo powder, Rosmerta pulled her scissors out again and made short work of his pants. "No sense in idling" she muttered as she set to work. She tsk'd as she saw his leg. The cold had done a good job of stopping the bleeding, but now that he was warming up, it was starting to bleed heavily, and she applied pressure with a towel, which became red in a matter of seconds. She wasn't sure if his femoral artery was severed, but at the way he was bleeding all over the place, she'd say it was a pretty good guess. All of a sudden Brian appeared, a flustered and worried Poppy Pomfrey in tow. _He must have told her about the Hogwarts badge on his shirt,_ thought Rosmerta.

"Oh my" said Madam Pomfrey as she took in the boy's state. She immediately got to work trying to stop his leg from bleeding. "Episkey!" she said, waving her wand and fixing his bleeding leg. She traced her wand over the cuts on his hands and arms, sealing the wounds.

"You did a fine job Rosmerta" said Madam Pomfrey warmly, levitating the unconscious youth gently. "I'm taking him to Hogwarts to see if anyone knows who he is or what House he belongs to, and Severus is waiting with some Blood Replenishing potions. I'll keep you posted if you want" said the Matron. And with a wave of thanks and a wry smile, both Madam Pomfrey and the mysterious boy vanished through the emerald flames, with a clearly spoken "Hogwarts, Hospital Wing" and a flourish.

* * *

He was warm. His brain was fuzzy and he was confused. There were voices around him, talking softly. Not wanting them to know he was awake, he kept his eyes closed and listened.

"What do you think happened to him Poppy?" asked Minerva McGonagall, her Scottish brogue more pronounced because of stress. He heard an exasperated sigh somewhere to his left and felt someone lean gently over him. He assumed that Madam Pomfrey was running diagnostic tests with her wand.

"I honestly don't know Minerva" she said, seeming flustered that she couldn't tell what was wrong. "I've run countless tests on him. Aside from his injuries, the boy should be fine. He's just slightly anemic. But Dark Magic residue is all over him. Severus has been working on dispelling it"

"Do you think it was," McGonagall's voice dropped to a whisper "You-Know-Who?"

"It could have been Death Eaters. Judging by the amount of residue on him, he could have been in a small war." McGonagall sputtered. "It's not possible! The Order would've caught wind of it right away!"

_Good. The Order still exists here_ thought Adrian in relief. Suddenly he heard a familiar and comforting voice.

"Minerva please," said Albus Dumbledore soothingly, drawing the curtains around his bed closed. "You'll wake the poor boy"

BANG!! All of a sudden, the Hospital Wing door slammed open, and someone started shouting at Dumbledore.

"DUMBLEDORE! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" shouted someone angrily

"Sirius please, calm yourself" Adrian heard the calm voice of Remus Lupin.

"Ahh, Sirius, Lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore airily

_Sirius?_ he thought, and his stomach gave a jolt. His heartbeat increased and adrenaline rushed through his system at hearing his father's voice. Sirius disregarded the offer of a sweet and continued his rant, a bit more calmly, at the request of Remus.

"You send me an owl saying my son is at the hospital wing! What kind of sick joke is this! You KNOW perfectly well what happened to my son!" he said fiercely. Madam Pomfrey interrupted.

"Well Mr. Black, I've run paternity tests over and over since this morning. He is most definitely your son. I keep getting the same results over and over."

"He's using glamour or something then" snapped Sirius angrily "My son is dead!"

Adrian chose that moment to 'wake up' and he moaned softly. Whatever potions Madam Pomfrey had given him were beginning to wear off and he was beginning to feel the extent of his injuries. Poppy hurried over to his bedside and gently drew the curtains aside, letting light shine through. Adrian blinked at the sudden invasion of sunlight and tried to raise his arm, only to find it was heavily bandaged. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey shielded him from the brunt of it by leaning over him and running more tests. She motioned for the others to stay back until she figured out how he was doing.

"Where am I?" he asked hoarsely, struggling to get up. He in fact knew exactly where he was, but knew it would raise suspicion if he didn't act at least a little confused.

"You are in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" said Pomfrey primly "And might I add, young man, you've given everyone quite a scare"

"Sorry" he said. He reached up to rub his face and discovered there was a bandage on his right cheek, covering his eye as well, and he ran his hands gently over his body to see if there were anymore.

"You were in a right state" said Madam Pomfrey "Five cracked ribs, a gash on your cheek, a lacerated leg, and your torso was cut up quite nicely. What in Merlin's sake were you doing?" Before he could answer, Dumbledore interrupted. "Now, now Poppy, the boy has just woken up. Go a little easy on him." he said with a chuckle. He then looked seriously at Adrian. "Though I'm afraid, my dear boy, we have absolutely no idea as to who you are"

"I don't know why you're doing this Dumbledore." said Sirius angrily "He could very well lie"

"That's very true. He could" said Dumbledore, peering at Adrian over his half-moon spectacles. Adrian took a breath, and then winced. It seemed to remind Poppy of her job and she returned with a potion vial in her hands.

"Here you go dear." she said, handing him the vial gently. He uncorked it and sniffed it, making a face.

"Bottoms up" he said hoarsely. The pain diminished at once. He looked around and saw that his wand, a silver flask and a piece of parchment were all on the night-table beside him.

"They were in your pockets dear" Pomfrey said as she caught his quizzical look. He raised his wand, waved it around himself and said: "I swear on my magic, and on my mother's grave that what I will say is the truth and nothing but the truth or Merlin strike me where I stand. Or lie" he added as an afterthought. Sirius and Remus finally came forward as the magic swirled around him, then faded. He looked evenly at the group assembled before him.

'I'll tell you anything you want to know, except about my childhood. If I don't want to answer, I will stay silent" he warned. "What do you want to know?" he said, looking at Sirius calmly but jumping up and down in excitement inside.

"What is your name" Sirius asked, looking at him steadily.

"Adrian Vincent Perseus Demitrius Remus Sebastian Black" he said evenly. Sirius paled, and Remus quickly conjured a chair to catch him as he collapsed.

"Merlin" he breathed

"Anyone could know that." said Remus "Where did you come from?"

"From a world parallel to this one" he answered

"H-How did you get here?" asked Sirius, at a loss for words

Adrian thought for a minute. The angels had warned him not to tell anyone about them, for secrecy was very important for them. Well, he could always say Fawkes brought him. It was the truth. The angels merely had informed him of things before returning his soul to his body, about the same time he'd woken up in the Hospital Wing.

"Fawkes brought me here" he answered truthfully.

"What happened in your world that allowed you to survive there?" asked Dumbledore curiously

"It's complicated" he said hesitantly. Sirius drew his chair closer and nodded encouragingly. "Please tell me" he said. Adrian took a deep breath and began.

"The night that the attack was scheduled to happen, Uncle James and my dad…er..I guess you..." he said looking at Sirius for a brief moment before continuing. "Went out for a drink, leaving Aunt Lily, Harry, Mum and I alone in the house. When we were attacked, both of you were still out. Aunt Lily took Harry and Mum took me and they ran upstairs and locked the door. Aunt Lily, always good at charms began to ward it something fierce, spell after spell after spell. I guess that Mum knew that they didn't stand a chance, so she began to draw Protective runes around me 'n Harry. When Voldemort-" at that there was a collective wince, save from Dumbledore. Adrian continued on with an even pace. "He came in and made short work of the door, though it bought Mum some time to complete her runes, and he blasted it straight off its hinges. Mum pushed Aunt Lily aside, knocking her unconscious and He decided that he was going to deal with Harry and me first. He killed her when she wouldn't move away from our crib." Sirius flinched, and Remus laid a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Then when he aimed at Harry and said the Killing curse, it rebounded, powered by my mothers sacrifice for her nephew and the combined power of the protection runes. Of course, the house was partially destroyed and Aunt Lily was still unconscious and Harry had rolled out form the crib when it collapsed and was safely hidden behind some rubble. My dad tracked down Pettigrew and blew him to bits and then was locked up in Azkaban, so I never really knew him. And that was it"

Everyone took a few moments to completely digest this new information. Sirius was the first to react. He lunged fiercely at Adrian and caught him in a bear hug with tears in his eyes. "My boy" he repeated over and over. Remus completed the bear hug. Dumbledore watched them, a merry twinkle in his blue eyes while McGonagall sniffed and Madam Pomfrey blew her nose in her handkerchief. Finally, the three pulled apart. "We've got to tell Harry." Sirius said to Remus.

"I'm sure he'll be excited. By the way, I never knew you named him after me. I'm touched" he said smiling.

"Lunch is almost over and classes are about to begin Professor Black, you too Professor Lupin" said Dumbledore with a smile

"_Professor_ Lupin?" asked Sirius, arching an eyebrow quizzically at his fellow Marauder. Remus blushed slightly "Dumbledore said you might find it useful to have a demonstrating partner

"Excellent" Sirius declared cheerfully "Off we go then" he turned back to Adrian and gave him a big hug. "We'll be back later" he whispered in Adrian's ear before kissing the top of his head and leaving with Remus.

Adrian sank back into his pillows feeling a mix of emotions. Surprise, Happiness….he felt positively giddy. In his entire life, he'd never known a time where he was loved so much, even if it was in such a brief moment like then one he just shared with his father.

Dumbledore smiled at him from over his half moon spectacles.

"Try to get some rest my dear boy. I daresay that a certain cousin of yours might like to visit later and it wouldn't do any good if you were tired." he said, eyes twinkling madly as he swept out of the Hospital Wing with a cheery wink for Adrian and a nod and smile for Poppy and Minerva. McGonagall followed after giving Adrian a hug.

"Well" sighed Madam Pomfrey "I daresay you've had enough excitement for today. I think a Dreamless Sleep potion will do quite nicely" And she bustled off in search of one.

Adrian took that time to examine his effects more closely. He picked up the silver flask and opened it. Nothing. Puzzled, he grabbed the parchment. It seemed to be blank. He had an idea. He pricked a finger on a fang and let a drop of blood fall on the parchment.

Seeming to accept that he was, in fact Adrian Black, the blood revealed the message on the parchment.

Dear Adrian

If you're reading this, you are probably safe and sound in Hogwarts. That flask is especially enchanted, hooked up to a vampire-friendly muggle blood bank. It'll fill up whenever you want it to; just don't let anyone else get a hold of it. Blood also will help you heal faster and curb your Hunger. Good luck,

Gabriel and Raphael.

As Adrian finished reading the letter, it disintegrated in his hands, leaving a fine white ash on the sheets. He picked his wand up off of the sheets, muttered "Scougify" and replaced his wand back on the night-table just as Madam Pomfrey returned with the Dreamless Sleep potion. "Just take it whenever you feel like resting. And don't hesitate to ask for potions to manage the pain." she said, and set the goblet down on the night table.

"Thanks very much. Um…is there any way I can get a mirror?"

"She raised her eyebrows at his strange request, but set off in search of one. Adrian took advantage of her absence to unscrew the top of the flask. "Fill" he whispered, and watched as thick red blood filled the flask. He brought it to his lips and drank deeply. He'd forgotten how good blood tasted, moaning in pleasure as the warm blood ran smoothly down his throat and the rich coppery metallic smell of it reached his nostrils. He drank until his hunger was sated, then screwed the top back on, hid the flask under his pillow and cleaned his bloody mouth with a cleaning charm. Madam Pomfrey returned with a mirror, not noticing the decidedly red tint his eye had taken. He thanked her and, using his wand, drew the curtains around his bed closed with a flick of his wrist. He then used his wand to slice through the bandages that had been applied by Madam Rosmerta, and angled the mirror to look at his chest, pulling the rest of the bandages off. The cuts on his chest were gone completely, some fading before his eyes as the blood he'd consumed speeded up his healing factor. The cuts on his hands and arms were also gone, but the gash on his cheek remained, healed, but a thin angry pink scar. He noted, with surprise that the Mark on his chest had also disappeared, and then remembered triggering his Metamorphmagus ability the moment he'd woken up. He studied his face in the mirror. It never failed to astound people when they found out that his eyes were two different colors. He usually hid that from people. _There is no use in getting yourself noticed for a completely unique eye colour_, he thought. For the left eye was dark blue, and the right, purple. He'd fallen into the practice of disguising his eye colour though, because he hated drawing unnecessary attention to himself.

He slipped out of bed quietly, and looked around for Madam Pomfrey. When he was sure she would not be coming to check up on him, he spurred his plan into motion quickly. Opening the drawer of the night table, he found two bandages, A Blood Lollipop and a Knut. Transfiguring the bandages and the Knut into black pants a black shirt and a grey cloak; he exchanged them for the Hogwarts-issue pajamas, grabbed his wand and flask, and stuck the Blood lolly in his mouth with a smile. He then climbed out the window and flew off, but not before leaving the Matron a note promising to be back before dinner. He had some unfinished business to do.


	5. Alliances

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**Chapter 5 **

**Thanks for reviewing, ****Never Forgotten RIP Barbaro**** and ****Angel****. And thanks to ****Spawn of Dracula**** for letting me bounce ideas off of you. I modified chapter one a bit. Tell me what you think readers! I love constructive criticism or comments on anything. Maybe I need to be more descriptive or less gory. Whatever it is, I can't know what you're thinking! Hit the review button; let me know how you feel!!**

* * *

He landed a safe distance away from the hospital wing, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, discarding the finished lollipop. He gripped his wand tightly and tread carefully into the forest, cloak fluttering behind him. It became dark instantly. The trees were so twisted, knotted and tangled that their foliage combined in such a way as to block out most of the sunlight. He sighed in relief and lowered the hood of his cloak. Even though sunlight would not seriously wound him anymore, thanks to his hybridism, prolonged exposure still hurt. He continued on his trek, spotting the forests many creatures along the way. He stopped at the sight of a silvery blue unicorn, and watched it drink water from a spring, followed by its golden horned foals. He smiled to himself and began to continue when he heard a twig _snap._ He froze as the unicorns bounded away and he began to smell the air, searching for a scent to identify who was there. THWOCK! The first arrow caught him off guard as it slammed into his shoulder. He gritted his teeth as he snapped off part of the shaft, and then crouched, ready for another attack. Two more arrows flew over his head and lodged into the tree behind him.

"Stop!" he cried "I come in Peace!"

"Make yourself known, intruder!" said a Centaur, stepping out from the shadows. He had a roan colored body black hair, mane and tail. He held a bow in one hand, a quiver was slung across his back and he had a fierce expression on his face. "We do not take kindly to strangers in our woods" Adrian bowed smoothly, keeping his shoulder length black hair out of his face, keeping it blank, but polite.  
"I am Adrian Black. I mean you no harm sir" he straightened up, mindful of his bleeding shoulder. "May I have the honor of knowing your name sir" he said politely. The Centaur straightened up slightly, surprised at being called 'sir'  
"My name is Bane" he said, a little grudgingly. Then he flared his nostrils and reared back, notching an arrow on his bow and pointing it at Adrian.  
"You are no human!" he spat "You are one of them. A Child of Darkness!" Adrian inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I am. But I only seek safe passage. I am not like some of my more vicious brethren." He thought for a minute. "How about we make a deal. You allow me safe passage whenever I need it, and I pledge you my services."  
"Why would we need your help?" said Bane angrily.  
"I'm not completely a vampire" said Adrian. Bane lowered his bow slightly and Adrian took that as his queue to continue. "I'm an Angel as well as a Vampire. A hybrid, if you will. I'm not dangerous, never have been. I'd be a good ally to have" he said convincingly. Bane seemed to consider his offer. He slung his bow across a shoulder, returned the arrow to his quiver and motioned to Adrian.

"Follow me. You will be tested" he said gruffly. They walked through the forest, Adrian in the front, flanked by two more Centaurs, and Bane in the back, keeping an eye on him. As they walked, Bane asked questions.  
"Do you age at all?" he asked trying to hide his curiosity. Adrian looked over his shoulder at Bane for a brief moment before turning his head back.  
"I do. I can't explain it, but I seem to age, just much, much slower then most people."  
His escorts led him towards a clearing, where a shaft of golden sunlight fell upon a figure lying there. It was a wounded Centaur, with a silvery blonde coat and blonde hair. Adrian knelt beside him gently. "Hello Firenze" he said calmly. Firenze, perhaps sensing his inhuman nature, shied away slightly. "How do you know my name" he asked, with difficulty. Adrian shrugged. "It is not important" He looked up at Bane "You want me to heal him." he said. It was not a question. Bane nodded. Adrian turned back to the Centaur on the forest floor and studied his injuries. His flanks were matted with dried blood and there were two evenly spaced puncture marks and a sickly greenish yellow viscous liquid oozed out of them. Adrian noted that Firenze's breaths were labored and he had a sickly grey pallor to his skin.  
"Acromantula." he said evenly, turning to look at Bane "How long has he been like this?"  
"A couple hours. They do not usually attack us. Nothing we have can help him."  
He thought for a minute, and then quickly took his cloak off. Bane immediately notched an arrow, looking at the young man warily.

"Relax. I have an idea" said Adrian, yanking the arrow out with a grimace and pulling off his shirt. He rotated his shoulder blades and closed his eyes in intense concentration. All of a sudden, silvery wings burst from his back, slightly bloody. Adrian let out a small cry of pain and got up slowly, looking behind his shoulder at his wings. Bane gasped. For a brief moment, as he'd been occupied by the unaccustomed pain, a phoenix had flashed across his body, and then disappeared. Adrian flexed his wings experimentally, and then knelt on one knee back down beside Firenze.  
"What was that on your chest?" asked Bane suspiciously. Adrian sighed as he flexed his wings forward and plucked out two small feathers that wouldn't hinder his flight. He'd have to tell Bane in order to gain his trust. He turned to Bane, still on one knee and dropped his glamour. Bane gasped. The mark of the Phoenix was there, as clear as day, on his chest and face.  
"The Phoenix Child" he whispered, dropping his bow and arrow without noticing. The other two Centaurs were staring at him as well, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Turning back to the wounded Centaur before him, he placed one feather on each of the puncture marks. Firenze flinched.  
"Relax Firenze. I'm not going to hurt you" he said soothingly, using his Metamorphmagus powers to cover up the mark once again. On second thought, he also turned his purple eye blue. Placing his hands gently on the feathers, he said "Vigoratus" and watched as the wounds closed completely, two silvery round scars the only reminder that they had even been there. He conjured a cloth and a bucket of warm water and gently began to clean the poison and the blood off of the healed Centaur.

"You do not have to do that, Phoenix Child" said Firenze, speaking for the first time since he arrived.  
"It's the least I can do." he said conversationally as he finished, folded his wings behind his back and stood up. "Centaurs are noble beings." He offered a hand to Firenze, who took it gratefully and stood up, albeit a little shakily.  
"I owe you my life Adrian" said the blonde Centaur. Adrian smiled at Firenze and turned to Bane and the other two Centaurs.  
"I must ask for your utmost secrecy. No one must know of my…powers. The results could be fatal." he said seriously. Bane nodded.  
"Rowan and Sagitta would never betray anyone. They are my most trusted friends" said Bane, looking back at them warningly.  
"We will not say anything" said Sagitta, stamping his hoof and tossing his head in determination. Rowan nodded his agreement.  
"You have our word" he said. Adrian then shook hands with Bane, Sagitta and Rowan, and hugged Firenze. Taking his silver flask out of his pocket, he unscrewed the top and took a couple swallows of warm blood. The Centaurs watched in amazement as his shoulder wound closed slowly and the scar disappeared. He then slipped the flask, top back on, in his pocket before retracting his wings and slipping on his shirt. He poked a finger through the quarter sized hole and sighed.  
"Sorry" said Sagitta sheepishly "That arrow was mine"  
"No harm done" said Adrian casting a _Reparo_ and smiling at Sagitta. He fastened his cloak and handed the embarrassed Centaur the broken arrow shaft, covered in his rapidly drying blood. "You should keep this" he said. "You never know when it might come in handy. You are aptly named, Arrow." And with a smile and a wave, he continued past them, and they watched until he was swallowed by the shadows of the forest.  
"He is a puzzle, that one" said Bane wonderingly. He turned to Rowan. "Let it be known that the being by the name of Adrian Black has been granted safe passage through here, for saving Firenze's life."  
"Yes sir" said Rowan, and galloped off with Sagitta. They knew that they shouldn't tell anyone, but, that harm could it do?

* * *

_Going through the forest was hard work_ thought Adrian, panting with his hands on his knees. He'd just extricated himself from the hungry grasp of a mutated Devils Snare. He spat on the ground, trying to rid himself of its taste. He'd had to bite through the few vines that had tried to wrap themselves around his neck. He had a cut on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, which he'd gotten when he hit the ground. He absentmindedly sucked on the throbbing cut as he continued towards Aragogs lair. Stopping for a minute to examine the cut, he found to his surprise that it wasn't there anymore. He aimed his wand at his wrist. "Diffindo!" A deep gash appeared and blood began to run down his arm. Experimentally, he licked the cut and watched as the skin came together and the bleeding stopped. "Cool" he said, interested about this new ability. He licked the rest of the blood off of his arm and continued on his way, tucking his wand in the waistband of his pants. _I should get a new wrist holster the next time I'm in Diagon Alley_ he thought. By the time he'd passed his 125th spider web, he surmised that he was very, very close. All of a sudden, spiders of all shapes and sizes were all around him, some on the ground, some suspended by their spinnerets.  
"WHO GOES THERE!" said a booming voice.  
"Someone who wishes to speak to Aragog" Adrian called out calmly, eyeing the surrounding spiders, ready to attack if they felt hungry. There was a loud scuffling noise as a giant spider with huge milky eyes came out of hiding. He might not have been able to see the slender, but muscular youth before him, but his other senses were still very sharp, and he sensed right away that the youth standing before him was very different.  
"What are you here for?" the giant spider wheezed.  
"I wish to know which one of your children attacked the centaur Firenze."  
"Why should I tell you anything boy?" said the spider. Adrian smirked, although Aragog couldn't see it.  
"Let's just say that the Centaurs might see fit to attack the person who raised you. Him being the reason that you are alive and that one of your children decided to bite one of their number" said Adrian nonchalantly, playing with his wand.  
"Hagrid?" the giant spider wheezed in alarm "Hagrid did nothing wrong"  
"Ahh…but in their eyes, it is Hagrids fault you are here in the first place" lied Adrian smoothly. The huge spider shifted uncomfortably.  
"What do you want boy?" he asked.  
"I want to know," he said, looking evenly around at all the assembled spiders, "who bit Firenze" A spider the size of a small car came out of the shadows.  
"Tasted good, the little horsy did. Yum" clicked the spider. Adrian pulled out his wand with a lightening fast move.  
"Sectumsempra!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the spider. Its head rolled right off its body and it collapsed, dead. The others clicked angrily.  
"Why did you kill my child?" wheezed Aragog  
"That was on behalf of Firenze" said Adrian coldly, tucking his wand back into his pants. "And if anyone else tries to harm a Centaur, rest assured, I _will_ be back and I _will_ take more lives as a result.' he said, coldly glaring at the spiders. "You have been warned Aragog" he said as he picked up the spiders head and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

He trekked back towards Hogwarts, stopping to deposit the spiders head with Bane to show that justice had been dealt. Again, at the edge of the forest, Adrian took a cautious look around. The courtyard was completely deserted. _Classes must be still going on _he thought. Of course, he'd only been away for a couple of hours, so he doubted that anyone would've missed him. He soared up, over the clouds, hood kept up with a sticking charm, and his cloak flapping in the wind. Using the clouds as cover, he flew eastwards, trying to locate a small glen near a waterfall, wondering if it served the same purpose in this world as it had in his. Spotting it down below, he swooped and landed gracefully in the middle of it. The spot was normally green and lush, covered with pretty flowers and plants, and located beside a small, but magnificent waterfall. But when Adrian landed there, in the middle of the glen, he landed in the middle of a large group pf people. Or vampires, to be exact all extremely pale and beautiful, all wearing cloaks to shield themselves from the sun. They all scattered at the sudden intrusion, but when they sensed he was one of them, they returned quietly.  
"Bring him to me" commanded a female voice, seductive and smoky. Hands grabbed at him and he shrugged them off roughly.  
"I can get there on my own thanks" he said coldly

"Very well. Come here, stranger" said the voice, sounding amused. The sea of vampires parted, revealing the owner of the voice. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but at the same time, there was something alien about her. She had perfect alabaster skin, unmarred by any mark or scar, long wavy golden blonde hair and big green eyes. Her high cheekbones and perfectly shaped eyebrows complemented her face as much as her golden lashes, willowy figure and full red lips did. She beckoned him with one long, tapered finger. He removed his hood and walked towards her. He took her offered hand and kissed it, brushing his full lips over it softly. She put one finger under his chin and gently raised it until his eyes locked with hers. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth, nipping playfully at his lower lip, and he smirked against her mouth. When they broke about, he embraced him and whispered in his ear with her smoky voice, "Adrian darling, it's so good to see you. Gabriel told me beforehand about you so that no-one here would kill you." she laughed, and the sound reminded him of silver chimes. They broke apart and faced the confused crowed of vampires.  
"This is Adrian, the only fledgling of my brother Orpheus. He is the heir to the title of Prince of Darkness. You will all treat him with respect, and you will get respect in return." she said commandingly. She then led him away from the murmuring crowd. "Will you walk with me darling?" she said, tracing the scar on his face with one pale finger.  
"Anything for you Selene" he said in an equally seductive voice. Her flowing green silk gown fluttered gently as they walked at the edge of the waterfall, and Selene explained about things that had happened to the vampires in her world.  
"After the Serpent was defeated by the Chosen One, the Ministry began to round up vampires and secretly destroy them. They let the public believe that every single vampire was in league with the Dark Lord and that it would be a good idea to destroy them, when in fact, the actions of two or three Clans were dooming the rest of us to destruction"

"Go on" said Adrian, deep in thought  
"Orpheus and I managed to round up the remaining vampires and we taught them how to hide their true Nature. We've let the Ministry believe that all the vampires are destroyed"  
"What was the real reason for killing our kind?" asked Adrian looking at Selene seriously. Selene continued, gravely.  
"They were afraid of Orpheus and me" she said  
"Does it have to do with that title I'm inheriting?" Selene sat down a rock at the rivers edge and motioned Adrian to sit on the one beside her.  
"There's something Orpheus and I didn't tell you darling. Orpheus is actually the son of…Satan. And I am his daughter. We were the first vampires and you, having received our highly powerful blood, could always do things other vampires could not."  
Adrian looked at the ground, shocked "I remember" he whispered  
"Please don't be mad darling. We wanted to tell you sooner or later." she said gently  
"I understand why you didn't tell me" he said, hugging her "but now that you have, do you think you can tell me what I can do that others can't, and what my job will be as the Prince of Darkness?"  
"Of course" she said warmly "Sunlight never bothered you as much. You still aged. Oh, I remember being so mad at Orpheus for turning you that day. I was convinced that you were going to remain a six year old forever. Thankfully, you didn't. You can eat human food without throwing it back up. You don't need to drink blood every day, only every two or three days instead. Your saliva has numbing properties, and you possess Allure."  
"What's Allure?" he asked  
"A vampire usually has to be very old to have Allure. It's very hard to master. Allure is what you use to hypnotize people. It's like stunning them with breathtaking beauty"  
"Almost like a Veela" he mused  
"Almost" she agreed "But ours is much more powerful then theirs. So be careful, too much can blind someone or drive them to insanity"  
"I will Selene, thank you" he said getting up "By the way, where is Orpheus?"  
"Somewhere in Russia, the last time I heard from him. The actions our Ministry took against us sparked a worldwide wave of vampire eradication. So he's there, trying to teach the other ones how to disguise themselves." he turned to her, face puzzled.  
"You said I was Orpheus' only fledgling, but not yours."

Selene sighed. "That's because you are his fledgling. He Turned you. I have a fledgling as well. Unfortunately he's gotten to be extremely power hungry, and if he want your title, your going to have to fight for it."  
"I thought so" he sighed "Well, no use in prolonging the inevitable" and he followed Selene back to the clearing. The murmuring stopped and they all waited for her to say something.  
"I trust no has any problems with Adrian?" asked, arching an eyebrow in question.  
A blonde haired youth came forward and sneered at Adrian "Actually I do…Mother"  
Blue eyes clashed with browns ones, one set narrowed in hatred, the other, an icy cold glare. Selene sighed.  
"A fight it is then. Play by the rules, Adrian, Malachi. I'll be watching" she warned. All the other vampires gave them lots of space and formed a wide circle around the two. Adrian took off his cloak with a flourish and calmly rolled up his sleeves while Malachi cracked his knuckles and neck and jumped around, punching the air.  
"My, you're quite inexperienced, aren't you?" asked Adrian with a Snape-worthy sneer.  
"Experienced enough to beat a whelp like you" he retorted. Adrian laughed coldly  
"You fool! The blood of Satan's son flows through my veins!"  
"The same with me you idiot"  
"Ahh…but you were created after me, to stand in for me. Born second, always second!" Adrian taunted. Malachi threw himself at Adrian with an angry roar. Adrian easily side-stepped the attack and hurled Malachi to the ground with one swift move. His lip bleeding, Malachi charged angrily again. Adrian grabbed his arms and threw him into the ground again, hard.

"It seems like I was right" Adrian grinned nastily at Malachi, showing off his pointy fangs. Malachi was disheveled, panting as if he'd run a marathon, whereas Adrian looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat. Even his clothes were untouched. Malachi rushed at him again, and this time Adrian went behind him, and put his hands on Malachi's neck gently. Malachi stopped, trembling slightly. Adrian whispered to Malachi, his mouth by the others ear; "Do you know what I could do, holding your neck like this? I could break your neck easily. It wouldn't even require much effort, like breaking a chicken's neck" he breathed in Malachi's ear softly and seductively, and traced his neck gently with a tapered finger. He felt Malachi shiver, either from fright or arousal, under his touch.  
"Do you give up your rights to the throne?" he asked Malachi gently, running his fangs over the hollow of his throat. The youth's eyes fluttered and he gulped as his pulse quickened. Adrian gently nipped the skin there, eliciting a soft moan from Malachi.  
"Yes" he whispered, cheeks flushed.  
"Say it" whispered Adrian  
"I, Malachi, fledgling of Selene, Daughter of the Fallen One, give up my rights to the throne and to the title of Prince of Darkness" he said, breathing fast.  
Adrian gently let go of Malachi's neck turned him around and kissed him on the lips, his hand tracing the others jaw, supporting him as the boy's knees gave out. They pulled away.  
"See now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" asked Adrian huskily, looking at Malachi with smoldering eyes. Malachi shook his head dumbly. That kissed had stripped the last vestiges of sense form him and he was having difficulty recovering it. He gave Malachi one last kiss before turning to Selene and kissing her hand.  
"See you later Selene" he said with a wink. He donned his cloak and left.

* * *

He arrived at Hogwarts just as dinner started. He slipped through the window again, changed back into his pajamas, returned his clothes to the proper state and fell asleep. He'd had an exhausting afternoon.

* * *

**BOYKISSES!! YAY!!**

**Latin Translation: Vigoratus Heal  
Sagitta means Arrow for those of you who didnt catch that  
Til next time!!  
****  
SilverWing-Mryddin Ambrosius**


	6. Memories, misty watercoloured memories

**Chapter 6**

**Hello All, **

**I will try to continue posting chapters but might take a couple days of rest as I have problems with my hands. Thank you to all my faithful reviewers and to Hetshepsit, my beta of sorts and good friend for staying with me.**

* * *

He woke, suddenly and abruptly, still gripped in the throes of a nightmare, the sharp smell of sweat in the air, and of something else. Of fear and death and pain, perhaps. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, rubbing the sleep and the sweat away. The sky was dark, seeded with stars as bright and as small as diamonds and the moon a pale crescent, like Death's scythe, hung in the sky and washed his skin in a bleak pallor. He got out of bed and sat by the window under the sickly light of the pale moon and then climbed out of the window and onto the ledge, letting night's cloak cover him like a warm blanket, and he crouched there at the ledge, where he was neither imprisoned nor free, with a stronghold behind him, the cloudy sky above him, and the flagstones below him, waiting for the wet smack of his body and the warmth of his blood and brains and the pulp of his bones, should he take one more step forward. The clouds began to gather angrily overhead, blocking out the white crescent moon and they rumbled, a faint sound, but growing louder as if they wished to drown out every sound but theirs and theirs alone. The rain began to fall now, lightly, then harder, drumming on stone and wood and glass as if to break it and the sound was loud in his ears. The rain pelted on his prone self, slapping his body with wind and rain, and kissing his upturned face, his eyelids, his lips, ice on an already icy form. His shirt was long gone now, torn away by the shrieking wind and the dagger-sharp rain, and for all the world, he looked like a stone statue. Alabaster skin, raven hair, red lips, and, cheeks still pink and warm with borrowed life. Raindrops fell in beads from his aquiline nose and fell down his face, glass tears on a marble masterpiece, Satan's David.  
It collected like dew on his thick lashes, framing his eyes, blue and purple, echoes of a stormy sky. Lightening flashed overhead, streaking the sky, purple-white veins of energy. The rain came down in sheets upon his crouched motionless form, and he let it wash his nightmares away.

* * *

It was night. It was dark, but oddly comforting to her. She, a Healer for many a year, was now accustomed to the odd hours, the late night check-ups, the times she spent just standing in the light of the Moon, and letting its silver light wash over her still form, all bright and shining. She would stand there and she would dream. But there was no time for dreaming now. The time for dreams and leisurely walks had ended the moment the boy had gone missing that afternoon. It was not her fault, she was not to blame. Spells could only go so far, even though no spell had been broken at all that day, though it should have. Her light footsteps echoed on stone as she walked briskly to the wing, to see if any of her books had stronger locating charms, as the charms she'd used were useless. Her golden curls bounced slightly as she walked and her white dress and starched apron glowed like a lighthouse beacon in the dark, cold, miserable hallway. Shadows snatched at her with hooked claws and let go just as quickly the moment she stepped into the Hospital Wing.

She tsked and swept aside the blue-green curtains surrounding the empty bed that had been occupied by Adrian, only to stop and stare. He was there. In the bed. His inky-black hair was spread out in damp tendrils on his white pillow. He lay there, eyes closed, soot black lashes against paper-white skin, hands clasped over his chest and so composed that she nearly took him to be an extremely lifelike doll. She bent down to take his temperature and she gasped. "Merlin" she murmured. Not only was he freezing cold, he was soaking wet and she was having a hard time finding a pulse. Luckily for her, Severus Snape chose that moment to walk into the Hospital wing.  
"Severus, I need your help" she said frantically. He slowly walked over to the bed, black robes billowing softly, and sneered down at the prone figure on the bed.  
"So" he said slowly "the rumors are true". Madam Pomfrey waved her hand impatiently.  
"There's no time for that Severus. By any account, he's probably been out all day; he's soaking wet and barely breathing. I need you to stay here and administer potions while I go get Professor Black and the Headmaster"  
"Can't you do that by yourself? You are the Mediwitch" he asked testily"Well, I doubt that it would be your utmost pleasure to tell Mr. Black his son has appeared" the Mediwitch retorted  
"I'd rather kiss a troll" he replied automatically  
"Exactly" said Madam Pomfrey firmly "That's why you're staying here" and she left.  
"Damn." said Snape, looking after her retreating figure. "I think I've been had"

* * *

The fire crackled cheerfully in the grate, casting a myriad of warm colors over Sirus Black's face as he sat and stared at the flames. He was sitting so close that the edge of his navy blue robes were in danger of catching on fire, but he didn't notice, nor did he feel the heat. A gentle hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his trance. Remus Lupin smiled reassuringly at his old friend.  
"We'll find him Padfoot, don't worry" he said softly, so that the others couldn't hear him. The others being, of course, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, who were at the other side of the room, engaged in various activities. Harry, sticking out his tongue in concentration, was playing wizard chess with a smiling Ron, Hermione was reading a book and Ginny was lazily conjuring up yellow and purple butterflies and watching them flutter about.  
"I don't know Moony" said Sirius, running a hand through his wavy black hair, "You saw the note. Anyone could've written it. I don't even know what his handwriting looks like"  
"You have to remember, we don't know if anything here is different or the same to him. He probably went off to see if anything he knows back there still exists here"  
"In the state he was in? I don't think so" said Sirius tiredly. Remus drew up a chair beside the black haired man.  
"How did Harry take it?" he asked in a low voice, as Ron laughed in triumph, clearly victorious.  
"Really well actually. He's excited. The only cousins he got are that muggle boy and Lucius Malfoy's son."  
"Really?" asked Remus, surprised "Draco is Harry's cousin?"  
"Distant cousin is more like it."  
"They kind of look alike" said Lupin  
Sirius snorted. "Don't even joke about it Moony"  
"What?" asked Remus with an innocent look  
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey ran breathlessly into the Gryffindor Common Room.  
"Sirius, he's here" she puffed. He was out of his chair and by her side in two bounds. Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron had stopped their various activities and were watching intently.  
"What do you mean Poppy? Do you mean you found him?" he asked hopefully. Madam Pomfrey shook her head slightly.  
"Not exactly. I went to check his bed again, a minute ago, to see if he had left anything else. And he was in the bed, asleep and soaking wet. I left Severus with him"  
Sirius turned red and let out a strangled yelp as he ran for the door. Remus shook his head at the Mediwitch with a slight smile.  
"Of all the people here, you just had to leave him with Snape." He turned towards the four teens sprawled along the back.  
"Can you four go after him and make sure that he doesn't strangle Snape with his own entrails while I get Dumbledore?" And, saying that, he dashed out with Madam Pomfrey. Ron snorted as they walked at a brisk pace to the Hospital Wing.  
"Do we need to stop him?" he asked Harry pleadingly. Harry grinned.  
"We'd better get there fast before they kill each other. Besides, I want to see what Adrian looks like."  
"Are you excited that you have a cousin Harry?" Ginny enquired.  
"Sort of. I'm kind of nervous, really" Harry admitted "I wonder if he knew my parents"  
"Snuffles didn't really explain how Adrian is related to you…only that he's from an alternate dimension or something." said Ron  
"Universe" Hermione corrected. Harry was about to explain when a shout was heard coming from the Hospital Wing.  
"Oh dear" muttered Hermione as the four of them sprinted the rest of the way there.

The hospital Wing was a mess. Everything was upended, mattresses were strewn about, pillows were bleeding feathers and a whole host of empty glass beakers were smashed on the floor by the only bed not turned upside-down, which currently held one Adrian Black.  
The sources of the mess were on the other side of Adrian's bed. Severus Snape was pinned against the wall, the wand of a furious Sirius Black pressed to his throat.  
"Get off of me Black." Snape hissed "If you had an once of common sense, you would remove your wand before you let your…son…die"  
"Before you do him in, you mean" snarled Sirius. Harry and Ron made a move to stop Sirius just as Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing, Remus and Poppy in tow.  
Poppy immediately rushed to Adrian's bedside and began to run diagnostic spells as Hermione, Remus and Ginny started cleaning the gigantic mess. Dumbledore looked seriously from one teacher to the other, the twinkle in his eyes subdued.  
"Sirius, please remove your wand from Severus's throat. He needs to assist Madam Pomfrey."  
Sirius reluctantly withdrew his wand and stepped back. Snape swept past him with a hateful glare and left the room.  
"I need more blood-replenishing potions!" Madam Pomfrey yelled after him. Sirius looked at her in surprise.  
"What do you need blood replenishing potions for?" he asked, moving to Adrian's bedside. Harry cautiously moved closer until he stood at the end of the hospital bed.  
"He's got a very weak pulse Sirius. When I found him he was wet to the bone, and he's slightly anemic. Frankly, I'm worried; I'm not taking any chances."  
Ron cautiously stepped closer to the bed, coming to stand by Harry. Hermione moved with him and Ginny followed hesitantly behind. The four teens looked down on the boy in the bed as everyone watched.  
"He really does look a lot like you Sirus" remarked Ron. Ginny rolled her eyes.  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious" she said  
"I wonder what it's like, to see people that you love, only to know that they can't possibly remember you. It must be hard" said Harry  
Hermione blinked in surprise. "That was really deep Harry". Harry shrugged.  
"I have my moments you know"  
"All hope is not lost then," Snape said with a sneer as he re-entered the room "Potter actually has the capacity for intelligent thought. I never thought I'd see the day" He pushed the quartet away from the bed with a sweep of his robes and set the glass bottles he was carrying on the bedside table, all the while expertly maneuvering thorough the feather-covered carnage of the infirmary. Sirius growled softly at the dour potions master.  
"Now Sirius, I don't want any more fighting in the infirmary, my cabinets can't take it anymore. Make yourself useful will you, and clean up your mess" said the Matron as she uncapped jars of salve. "You four can help too you know. No use in goggling at the poor boy." The four teens and a grumbling Sirius set about fixing up the infirmary, with Sirus stopping every few minutes to glare at Severus.  
"Anymore grumbling out of you Mister Black and I'll have you cleaning without wands" Madam Pomfrey called after him. Turning back to the task at hand, she started unbuttoning the unconscious boy's shirt. She blinked in surprise.  
"Why I never!" she exclaimed  
"What?" asked Snape disinterestedly, not even looking.  
"It's just not possible!" she said frantically, practically ripping the rest of his shirt off. "It's just not possible" she repeated.  
"What in Merlin's name is so impossible Poppy?" snapped the potion master, looking down at the pale expanse of the boy's slim torso "Why must you keep him here if he doesn't even have a single scratch?"  
"But that's it exactly it!" she exclaimed hysterically. Attracted by the Matrons mounting hysteria and increasing volume, Sirius and the four students rejoined Snape and Madam Pomfrey by Adrian's bedside.  
"What's wrong Poppy?" asked Sirius concernedly.  
"I'll tell you what's wrong Mr. Black!" said exclaimed, pacing the length of the hospital bed " What's wrong is that when Madam Rosmerta found him last night, bleeding in the snow near her pub, he had cuts all over his body, a very nasty cut on his cheek, an immense amount of blood loss, and five cracked ribs. Five! With all the blood he lost, it's a miracle that he's even alive! And I open up his shirt to this? There's nothing Sirius. There's absolutely nothing to hint that he even came close to death, no mark, scar or blemish. Nothing!"  
"I think she's gone nutters. The stress has finally got to her" whispered Ron to the others.  
"Why don't you sit down Poppy" said Sirius soothingly as he guided the frazzled Matron to a chair. He turned to Ginny "Listen, Ginny, can you find Remus for me? Just bring him here"  
"Ok" said Ginny as she exited the infirmary. Poppy Pomfrey rubbed her face wearily. "Hypothetically speaking, he should be dead" she said.  
"Speaking of dead" said Snape impatiently "Don't you think I should administer these potions before the boy does die?"  
"Hey! He has a name Snape. I suggest you use it" Sirius snapped. Snape ignored him like a dog would ignore a noisy fly and set about opening the potion bottles with a smirk.  
"What's so funny Snivellus? Care to share?" said Sirius in a dangerously calm tone. Snape turned with malice in his eyes and a nasty smirk on his face.  
"Did it ever occur to you" he said with a wicked glee, "That your supposed son could be an imposter? That he might be a Death Eater in disguise?"  
"That's outrageous!" exclaimed Remus as he strode through the door, followed by Ginny.  
"You don't even know what you're talking about Snape" said Sirius coldly  
"Oh I think I do," the Potions Master said silkily. Sirius looked as though he wanted to rip Snape's spleen out through his chest. Remus's hand on his shoulder was the only thing restraining him.  
"I don't think you'd want to be doing that Sirius" Remus warned. Sirius turned to look at his friend.  
"And why not?" he asked through gritted teeth.  
"Because you'll have to wipe the professors blood and guts off the wall, and you prolly don't want it to get any more unpleasant then I think it already is." supplied Ron helpfully. Hermione groaned exasperatedly. "Ron!" Both Severus Snape and Sirius Black ignored them, each focusing on the other with the promise of death in their eyes. Sirius broke the tense silence first.  
"You're just jealous, you bloody wanker, because my son's alive, because I have a family and you have nothing! You've never had anything you sad, pathetic excuse for a wizard. Anything you loved left you. And guess what, you pompous git. Lilly never liked you. Ever. And you just couldn't get over it could you?" The potions Master looked like he'd just been bowled over by the Hogwarts Express. Surprise was written all over his pale face, but he quickly masked his reaction, only his eyes belying the seething hatred of his enemy.  
"Sirius please, don't. It's not worth it" pleaded Hermione, tugging on his sleeve.  
"You're one to talk Black" said the potions master, spitting out the words as though they were poison, "You can't protect anything. Your precious wife died protecting your spawn, which was useless really, because you couldn't save him either could you? And you killed the potters by suggesting Pettigrew be the secret keeper. You're so idiotic, that you'd believe a mustard jar if it came in here and told you it was your son. Did it never pass your abnormally thick skull that anyone could have walked into the hall of records in the ministry and found your son's birth and death certificates? You're a broken man Black; you'd do anything to fuel the sick fantasy that your son could be alive." Sirius growled in fury and broke free, ready to do some serious damage. As Snape raised his wand, icy cold fingers wrapped themselves around his wrist. He jumped back in surprise as Madam Pomfrey gave a shriek.  
"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron. They had all been so focused on the impending bloodshed that no-one had noticed was Adrian climbed out of bed. The shirtless youth still hadn't relinquished his hold on Snape's wrist.  
"Stop please," he said softly "Both of you" Snape scowled and wrenched his wrist away. Sirius lowered his wand warily, on alert just in case Snape wanted to fight dirty.  
"You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but what if what Snape-er-the professor said is true? What if he really is an imposter?"  
"Ron!" said Hermione scandalized  
"What? It's a valid point" said Ron sheepishly, scratching his head.  
"But seriously, who'd go through the trouble of impersonating someone who died when he was a baby? If they were trying to get close to Harry, there'd be a hundred different and easier ways to do it." Said Hermione  
"Hey!" said Harry "It can't be that easy, can it? It's not like he's going to kill me, is he?"  
"No I'm not." Said the half naked boy as he ran his fingers through his hair "Truly, I'm not"  
"Well in that case" said Hermione, walking up to the boy with her hand outstretched, "I'm Hermione Granger" he hesitated for a brief moment before firmly grasping her hand and shaking it "I'm Adrian. Adrian Black" Hermione took that brief moment to study him, and found that his eyes were travelling over her face just as fast as hers were going over his. The look in his deep blue eyes was almost unreadable, but they moved over her every feature as though he wanted to memorize her and never forget. She blushed. He had such a piercing gaze.  
"Ahem" Ron coughed loudly; standing by Hermione in an effort to shift what he thought was unnecessary attention away from his friend.  
"Right then, I'm Ron Weasley" he said sticking his hand in between Hermione and Adrian. Adrian's eyes turned to his with a sparkle of amusement and he shook Ron`s hand.  
"Pleased to meet you Ron" he said. Harry stayed where he was, looking at the boy a few feet away from him. "So you're my cousin then?" he asked finally.  
"Looks like it" said Adrian with a smile  
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" asked Harry curiously  
"Well…technically yes, but then again, so are you"  
"That's true" admitted Harry. He walked up and offered his hand to his cousin. "I'm Harry, but I'm sure you prolly know who I am."  
Adrian gave Harry`s hand a warm shake "That I do Harry. That I do" he said. Then he pulled Harry into a short hug "Sorry" he apologized, releasing his cousin.  
"Er, no problem" said Harry awkwardly.  
"Well" said Madam Pomfrey "As much as I love family reunions, I have a job to do. And you, young man…I'll deal with you later" she bustled to the window and drew back the curtains with a snap, flooding the room with sunlight.  
"Argh!" exclaimed Adrian as he hastily dove beneath the covers of his bed.  
"Are you alright?" asked everyone, except for Snape.  
"I'm fine" Adrian's muffled voice floated up from the blankets.  
"But why'd you dive under the covers just now?" asked Ginny coming closer to the bed. He uncovered his eyes and peeked at her.  
"I burn rather easily" he explained "I'm as pale as any sun-starved son of England" Sirius laughed. Snape scowled in impatience and turned to madam Pomfrey.  
"I trust you won't be needing these potions anymore Poppy? Contrary to your belief, I don't think he's anywhere near death's door" he sounded almost disappointed.  
"No no, I won't be needing them anymore Severus, thank you. It seems that I was wrong"  
"If only you knew" whispered Adrian bitterly as the potions master left.  
"What's that?" asked Ginny  
"Nothing" he said, throwing the blankets back off. "Does anyone know where I can get some decent clothes? It's a little chilly in just these pajama bottoms"  
"You can borrow some of Harry's I think" said Sirius "But first, you're coming with us" he began leading everyone to the exit, ignoring Madam Pomfrey`s protests.  
"Why?" asked Adrian, his heart beginning to race again as Sirius and Remus gently grabbed his elbows and steered him through the door. Remus looked down at him with a serious expression on his face.  
"You`ve got a lot of explaining to do kiddo`` he said  
Lagging behind, Ginny motioned for Harry, Ron and Hermione to lean in. "I have a feeling we'll be needing some Extendable Ears" she whispered with a grin.

* * *

­­­­­­­The fire crackling cheerfully in the grate in Sirius's quarters contrasted the weather outside, which had taken a turn for the worse very quickly. The wind howled like a banshee, and the strong winds were hurling snow against the castle as though it had done it grievous injury. Much to the delight of Ron however, the temperature in the castle had dropped several degrees, frosting the windows in snowflake like patterns, and was guaranteed to freeze the noses off the Slytherins at the very least, if the weather held up for the rest of the week, which Ron was praying for it to do. Adrian sat on the buttery leather couch, dressed in a dark blue cable knit sweater and grey slacks, courtesy of Harry, with elbows on his knees and chin resting contemplatively on his fisted hands. Soon, very soon, Sirius was going to come back with Remus and hot chocolate, and they'd expect him to reveal everything. This put him in a conundrum, because he knew there were things he couldn't possibly tell at this time. He sighed. Snape had really thrown a wrench in the works, with his statement about being an imposter. Remus, he knew, was wary of him, though he tried hard not to show it. Remus knew, as Adrian knew, that if he really was an imposter, it would crush Sirius completely. Adrian was determined to prove himself, no matter what it took. Just then, Sirius entered the sitting room carrying a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate, followed behind Remus, who gently closed the door behind him. Adrian smiled without showing any teeth as Sirius set down the tray and he and Remus arranged themselves on cushy chairs opposite the couch.

"Nice room" commented Adrian, looking around at the room decorated in tasteful creams and blues. "I was half-expecting it to be in Gryffindor's colors"  
Sirius grinned "Remus wouldn't let me." Remus chuckled  
"There was no way I was going to let him decorate. This room ended up purple with green polka dots. Please, help yourself to some hot chocolate" he said, passing a mug to Sirius and taking one for himself.  
"Um, don't mind if I do. Thank you" he took a sip "Wow, this is really good"  
Remus beamed. Sirius leaned forward in his seat, his expression serious, and Remus did the same. Adrian inwardly gulped at the combined force of their gaze and took a deep breath. He might be calm and collected in the face of danger, but nothing could have prepared him for this. No one noticed four fleshy tendrils snake under the crack in the door.  
"Adrian, if you don't mind, we'd like to ask you some questions" began Sirius  
"Oh, um, sure. Uh, would it make you feel better if I took Veritiserum or something?"  
"No worries" said Remus cheerfully "I took the liberty of slipping some into your hot chocolate." Adrian eyed his half-empty mug and set it back down on the tray.  
"Whenever you're ready" he said.

"What's your full name?" asked Remus  
"Adrian Vincent Perseus Demetrius Remus Sebastian Potter Black" a muffled gasp by the door went unheard.  
"But Remus, he already said his name before" said Sirius  
"I know. I just like hearing my name in there too"  
"Where were you born?"  
"At St. Mungos, but I lived in York upon Churchill"  
"If your parents couldn't take care of you, where did you live?" Remus asked  
"I lived with Harry at the Dursley's"  
"The what now?" asked a confused Sirius  
"The Dursley's, Vernon, Petunia and Dudley."  
"Lilly's relatives" confirmed Remus  
"Ah that's right, I remember now. Nasty lot. Didn't they hate magic?"  
"Yes" said Adrian and Remus at the same time  
"Why did the two of you live there?" said a curious Remus. Adrian shrugged.  
"All my relatives were either bat-shit insane, or locked up. And then there was something like blood protection and whatnot"  
"Did they treat the both of you well?" asked Sirius  
"No!" Adrian involuntarily blurted out, and then smacked his hand over his mouth.  
"What do you mean, no?" asked Remus, sounding afraid of what he might hear.  
"Tell me Adrian, please" asked Sirius. Adrian, with his hand over his mouth, shook his head no, trying to restrain himself from blurting the whole thing out. Unfortunately the potion won and the words burst out of him in a seemingly never-ending torrent.

"They wouldn't feed us enough you know, and Harry, Harry was always so small for his age. Sometimes if I had to clean the table, I would sneak leftovers back to the cupboard-that's where we lived, the cupboard under the stairs-for Harry to eat. We had to do chores every day, and if we did something wrong we'd get locked in the cupboard. We'd get all of Dudley's secondhand clothes-and he was huge you know. Sometimes they'd try to hurt Harry for not doing things well enough, but I wouldn't let them hurt him. I'd try to take the blame as much as possible-"

"You mean they'd beat you?" interrupted a flabbergasted Sirius. Adrian laughed bitterly.

"Beat us? Yeah. But the beatings were nothing. One time Harry forgot to plant Aunt Petunia's roses, and Vernon took him inside and held his arms over the lit gas range until I kicked him in the crotch. I got flayed alive by his belt but it was worth it, the expression on his stupid little face." Adrian's face had taken a dark look and his eyes an unholy gleam that scared the bejeezus out of Remus. Sirius looked like he was going to be sick. He couldn't believe that someone could've gone through so much with someone noticing. He wasn't even aware that he had spoken it out loud until Adrian answered him, his eyes focused with burning intensity on his clenched fists.

"No one would've noticed. Dudley's clothes were like seven times too big for us, and we never went outside anyway."  
"Adrian," Remus said alarmingly, "you don't have to say anything else if you don't want to. We won't make you." Adrian paid no notice. He couldn't stop; the words kept being vomited up and couldn't seem to stop.

"When I was six" he said slowly "Harry got a bad cold, so I had to do all the chores because Petunia didn't want him 'infecting' anybody. It's 11:30 at night, and as I'm cleaning the kitchen, I spill the flour bin. Uncle Vernon comes in, furious."  
_You stupid little FREAK!  
__I TOLD you to CLEAN the kitchen you IDIOT! You're WORTHLESS you FREAK!  
_"He kicks me in the ribs, hard. I feel a couple break. God, it hurts"  
_Stop making noise and clean this place AT ONCE! YOU HEAR?  
_"I must've coughed up some blood, because he gets angrier at me"  
_NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID YOU FREAK!  
_"I beg him to stop. I've learned my lesson, I'm thinking. I just want it to stop"  
_Stop….please  
__What did you say, you little shit?  
_"I can't answer. It's too much effort. I should have"  
_Don't want to talk now, do you?  
__I'll deal with you once and for all. You've been a burden on this household for too long and its going to stop now!  
_"I can feel him dragging me to the front door. He leaves for a few blessed minutes, and comes back with blankets. For a brief moment, I think, maybe he feels bad about hurting me. And then he picks me up and puts me in the trunk of his car. I hear him clanking something, and then he drives. The road seems to go on forever. I'm seeing things, black shapes at the edges of my vision and I know, I'm going to Hell for being a bad boy.  
The car stops and he carries me out to this…dirt hill I guess, and then he's pouring something over me, I can smell it. Its sweet and it burns my nose. I'm beyond caring now. And at 12:00 in the morning, he lights me on fire"  
Remus whispers "Sweet Merlin"  
Sirius's face is ashen; he looks like he's aged 5 years. "What happened then?" he asks hoarsely. He feels like finding Dursley and beating the ever loving shit out of him, and dousing him in petrol and lighting him, but he's compelled to ask.  
Adrian seems to snap out of it then, and he looks up sharply. "I don't want to talk about it right now" he said, his voice taking on a hard edge that sent chills down Remus's spine.

Heaven help Dursley, wherever he was, because he was going to die.

­

Until next time!

~SMA


	7. Merry Christmas

* * *

Chapter 7

The Christmas holidays were going on with gusto at Malfoy Manor, and all its occupants were busy spreading Christmas cheer. At the moment, Narcissa was watching the house elves like a hawk as the dusted the furniture, aired out the rugs, de-linted the curtains, washed the windows, scrubbed down the floors, shook out the tapestries, polished the silver, cleaned the kitchens, and prepared dinner. Lucius was engaging in the age old Malfoy household tradition of torturing house elves, and Draco was in his room, on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Wait. What does that have to do with Christmas cheer?  
"Absolutely nothing" replied Draco in a monotonous tone to the voice in his head. Why the long face Draco? He sighed and rolled over, propping his head on his black and silver pillows.  
"Why? Because Mother is throwing a Christmas party, and all of Father's friends will be here, not to mention that they'll be bringing their junior Death Eaters with them. And besides, I don't want to wear the family robes. Who thought up that stuff anyway? There's too much lace!" Draco complained. Narcissa chose that moment to walk through the door.  
"Who are you talking to Draco?"  
"No-one Mother" Draco hastily got off the bed and smoothed down his robes. Narcissa's blue eyes swept over him, as she tapped her chin with a delicate finger.  
"I suggest you get dressed Draco. Our guests will arrive soon" She turned to leave.  
"But Mother!" whined Draco  
"No buts Draco" she said firmly "I won't ask you again. You will put on your robes, and join your Father and I in the sitting room" She closed the door behind her and left. Draco waited until the sound of her footsteps faded before he stalked to his dresser and threw open the doors with a loud bang. He pawed through his very expensive designer robes like a dog searching for a bone.  
"I am not a dog!" he said in protest "Aha! Found it!" he proclaimed, holding up a frothy looking fabric above his head. The Malfoy family robes consisted of a long black outer robe with silver lining on the sleeve cuffs, simple black pants in an elegant cut, a royal blue vest tastefully embroidered in silver thread, and the pièce de résistance, a high-necked cashmere shirt with lace at the sleeves, and gathered in a small jabot at the throat. Draco held the lacy shirt up by the tips of his fingers, as if it burned him, and turned toward the ceiling.  
"Do you mind?" he said to the ceiling "I'm trying to change"  
Fine.

* * *

Narcissa had arranged herself with a casual grace on the mahogany framed forest green loveseat in the sitting room, waiting for her son and husband. She shifted in her seat and cast one more glance around the room. The matching mahogany furniture reflected her face back to her as clear as any mirror, the tapestries depicting great battles won by the medieval Malfoi family-devoid of their blanket of dust-and on proud display, shined in the light of the setting sun, and the whiskey filled crystal decanters on the strong teak side bar reflected the light in golden points, casting flickering rainbows on the immense Persian carpets. A cold winters wind blew in from the east, slamming open the French doors leading to the veranda and ruffling the heavy gold curtains. With a sudden freezing gust it passed over her, freeing white-gold strands of hair from her plait and ruffling her dark blue sleeveless silk dress adorned with tiny diamonds at the hem. Faces flitted in and out of the gilt edged portraits mounted along the forest green walls. She shivered and frowned, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill.  
"Monty!" She called. There was a loud crack, followed by a spindly house elf clothed in a pillow case.  
"You is calling Monty Mistress?"  
"Yes I am. I want you to close the French doors and light the fireplace. And be quick about it." The diminutive elf shook his head so hard that he slapped his face with his own ears.  
" Oh yes mistress, Monty is to be doing this as fast as he can." He said eagerly, as he lit the fireplace with a _SNAP!_ of his fingers. He padded as fast as he could to the doors and closed and latched them. He quickly walked back to his elegant blonde mistress and bowed.  
"Is Mistress wanting anything else from Monty?" the elf enquired.  
"You are to go to Master Malfoy and tell him that I'm waiting upstairs. Remind him that I don't like to be kept waiting"  
"Certainly Mistress. Is an honour" he said as he exited with a loud _CRACK_! A moment later, Draco entered the sitting room and plonked himself unceremoniously on the green velvet winged-back chair opposite his mother.  
"Now Draco," she said "There's no need to be upset. It's only for one night" he slumped down in his seat, which was not helping matters, as he was messing up his hair. Narcissa sighed and beckoned to her son to sit beside her. Draco got up slowly and shuffled over. He slumped sullenly as Narcissa fixed his hair and straightened his robes.  
"There you go" she said with a smile. She stroked his cheek lovingly "My handsome son" Draco looked up through his lashes at her with a small smile, silver-grey eyes meeting blue with affection. She kissed him lightly on the forehead as Lucius entered the room, looking impeccably handsome in his robes, which were nearly identical to Draco's except that he, as head of the house, had the Malfoy family crest embroidered on his breast. Narcissa caught the look of impatience in Lucius's eyes.  
"Draco darling, I think I might have left my diamond necklace in the library. You know the one, would you find it for me please?"  
"Of course" Draco said. Lucius waited until his son was well out of hearing range before he spoke.  
"Try not to spoil him too much will you Cissi? My son is a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor who wears his heart on a sleeve" he said as he crossed the room and settled in the chair Draco had previously occupied.  
"I'll treat my son however I want Lucius" retorted the beautiful blonde.  
"My dear, what I'm trying to say is that having attachments won't help the boy whatsoever"  
"You mean you would rather your son have no emotions then any at all?" she asked angrily  
"Yes I would. Especially in light of what will happen tonight..." he said calmly  
"What do you mean, Lucius?" she demanded, a frown creasing her smooth brow.  
"Surely you didn't think that the Dark Lord is going to drop in for tea and crumpets did you? He wishes to bring Draco into the fold, tonight" Although Narcissa's face betrayed none of her thoughts, the fact that she paled dramatically clued Lucius into her feelings. He crossed quickly to her side, and only when he reached it did he let his mask of cool indifference fall. He leaned in so that their noses nearly touched.  
"I don't like it either Cissi, but there is nothing I can do"  
"You have to do something Lucius, you have to!" she pleaded.  
"I can't Cissi! The repercussions are too dear, even for me" He saw by the purse of her lips what she meant to do, and he grabbed her upper arms firmly.  
"Narcissa listen. You mustn't protest. You might oppose it with every cell in your body, but you cannot, under any circumstance, voice your opinion" he said fervently  
"He's my flesh and blood Lucius, as well as yours. Family takes precedence above everything, including the Dark Lord. Or did you not know that yet?"  
"Narcissa, I've seen what happens to those who oppose him and question his decisions. I don't want it happening to you. Promise me you won't do anything stupid." He begged. Narcissa shifted her eyes away for a brief moment.  
"I won't" she finally said, her forget-me-not blues meeting his troubled grey ones. Satisfied, Lucius drew back just as Draco re-entered the room.  
"I couldn't find them mother" he said with a frown.  
"No matter," she said airily, motioning for him to sit on the chair beside her "I must have left it in my room." At that moment, Monty reappeared.  
"Mr. And Mrs. Parkinson and Miss Parkinson is arrived Master." Lucius stood, brushing off his robes and motioning for his cane, which the house elf scampered to find.  
"Excellent. Show them in" The house-elf disappeared. As they waited, Draco got the sense that not everything was as it should be. His father was too composed, and mother on edge. But before he could ask if anything was wrong, Monty ushered in the Parkinson's.  
"Parkinson." Lucius said in greeting as Narcissa and Marion Parkinson exchanged air-kisses. Pansy, wearing a hideous red and green dress, sauntered over to Draco, who resisted the urge to run.  
"Hello Draco. Merry Christmas" she said with a smile.  
"Merry Christmas Pansy" returned Draco  
"Draco, why don't you and Pansy head up to your room?" Narcissa suggested over the adults polite chatter.  
"What a great idea!" exclaimed Pansy, taking Draco's arm. He sighed softly and reluctantly led Pansy to his room.  
"Great" he muttered

* * *

Pansy sat at the edge of Draco's beautifully crafted four-poster bed. It must've cost at least 1200 galleons by her estimation, and worth every Knut, it seemed like. The posts themselves boasted a myriad of dragons up and down its lengths, all carved in relief from ebony, and a lifelike dragon presided over all from the headboard. Add to that a black silk canopy with curtains, silk sheets of the same colour, and black and silver pillows, and you had one amazingly assembled bed. And that wasn't even half of it. The rest of Draco's room was outfitted with the same sleek look. Lacquered ebony double doors with the Malfoy crest laid in silver filigree upon them , two rearing thestrals flanking a shield, seven starred on the upper, a rose entwined dagger, point down, on the lower, served as entrance to a closet which Pansy had not seen, but was sure was bigger than her own room. A simple door led to an en-suite bathroom, which no doubt had a Jacuzzi. Black and silver spackled walls completed the decor. It was very tastefully decorated. At the moment, Draco was standing a few paces away from her, hands in his pants pockets, looking very bored.  
"So..." she said slowly, running her hands over the bedspread.  
"So ..." he said slowly, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.  
Man, this awkward tension is killing me. You'd think Draco would know how to treat a lady, him being the Slytherin God and all.  
"Shut up!" he hissed at the ceiling  
"What?" said Pansy  
"Nothing" said Draco. The awkward silence returned. They stayed where they were for another five minutes, Pansy chewing her bottom lip while staring at the bedspread, and Draco glaring annoyed at the ceiling.  
"Draco, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?" Pansy asked out of the blue.  
"Yeah, so?"  
"So" she said, standing up "There's something I think you ought to know" she walked toward him until she was a hand span away. Draco maintained his ground, although he really felt like telling her off for invading his personal space and getting to close to him wearing that hideous dress. It could be infectious or something. He sauntered toward the bed to distance himself from her. She followed him, talking as she did so.  
"You know Draco, I don't think you realize exactly how attractive you are" He backed into the bed. This was getting uncomfortable, and fast. Hehe. He shot a pleading glance at the ceiling. Sorry kid. You're not getting any help from me.

Narcissa was on hand to greet the Zabini's as they came through the door.  
"Blaise dear, Draco's in his room. Monty can lead the way"  
"No need Mrs. Malfoy" said Blaise politely "I know the way". Blaise made his way down the lamp- lit hallways until he came to the familiar ebony door that led to Draco's room. He opened it and grinned at what he saw.  
"Oh boy" he said with an amused grin at what he saw" No, don't stop, continue."

* * *

Draco and Pansy simultaneously turned their heads to the door. Blaise grinned like a maniac at their compromising position. Draco was half reclining on the bed, clothes mussed, with Pansy half straddling him. Both Draco's arms were supporting his weight behind him and pansy's hands were alternately on his tie and his thigh. _Now_ we're getting somewhere. Draco shot an annoyed glance at the ceiling and smoothly sat upright, dumping Pansy unceremoniously on the floor.  
"Oof!" she exclaimed as she landed on her bottom. Blaise chuckled as he walked over and pulled Pansy to her feet.  
"I can go wait downstairs if you want to continue..." Blaise trailed off with a wicked glint in his eye.  
"You can stay Zabini" said Draco loftily, trying to hide the fact that he was secretly grateful for the interruption. They became aware of a swell of voices coming from the sitting room, among them a lilting female one. Pansy's eyes narrowed.  
"Well what do you know, Greengrass finally decided to show up to a Christmas party for once. Funny, she said she couldn't make it to ours last year, and the year before, and-"  
"Yes well, why don't you go say hello Pansy? I'm sure Daphne has a perfectly good reason for not being able to come before" Draco interrupted, trying not to sound impatient. He waited until she was going down the spiral staircase before shutting the door and locking it in one quick motion. Blaise burst out laughing."  
"You should have seen your face!" He got out between his guffaws "You looked like someone being executed!"  
"Oh stop your braying Zabini" Draco said sourly "Who knows where her mouth has been?"  
Blaise wiped a tear from his eye, his laughter becoming occasional chuckles. "Now Draco," he said  
"Pansy really is okay. She just...really likes you. But then again, what girl doesn't?"  
Draco grinned smugly "Why Blaise, is that jealousy I'm hearing?  
"Of course not" he said dismissively "You can keep your Pansy Parkinson's and your Romilda Vane's."  
Draco grimaced "Don't remind me" Blaise crossed the room and settled himself in a plush armchair.  
"Why's that?" he asked interestedly "Has she been stalking you?"  
"Heavens no, thank goodness. She sends me gifts" he said with a tone of suffering. Blaise looked surprised. "That's it?" he exclaimed. Draco sat up and looked reproachingly at Blaise. "You don't understand" he complained "She sends me things with these sickening cards attached."  
"So?" said Blaise. Draco sighed, stuck his hands under his chin and fluttered his eyelashes "Oh Draco, you're so gorgeous, be my Valentine. Oh Draco, all I want for Christmas is a can of whipping cream and you. Care to make my wish come true?" he said in a sickening sweet falsetto. Blaise winkled his nose. "Eww. But aren't you flattered at all?"  
"A little. She's quite cunning for a Gryffindor. I think the sorting hat put her in the wrong house." he admitted "But I haven't touched anything she gave me"  
"You mean you kept everything?" said the brown haired Slytherin. Draco shrugged.  
"I didn't know what to do with it. I keep it over there" he said, pointing to a side table at the other side of his bed. Blaise got up.  
"Do you mind?" he asked  
"Not at all. Go ahead" said Draco. Blaise squatted down by the table and from its drawers pulled out boxes of chocolates, small wrapped items and dozens upon dozens of cards. Sequined cards, glittery cards, bedazzled cards, cards made out of chocolate, and a card that looked suspiciously like it had been fashioned out of knickers. Tossing the cards aside, Blaise opened a box of chocolates.  
"You know, these don't look that bad Draco. A little squished maybe, but definitely edible."  
Draco absently waved a hand in Blaise's direction. "It's all yours" Blaise walked over and offered the box to Draco, who was sitting at the edge of his bed in boredom. "Are you sure you don't want any? It's not like she poisoned them" Draco shook his head and examined his nails. As Blaise was about to pop a delicious sugary confection into his mouth, Draco grabbed his wrist. Blaise stared at him in confusion.  
"Wait" said Draco "I think she did something to them" Blaise snorted.  
"Don't be stupid Draco. She likes you. It hardly means she's trying to kill you"  
"Not kill me" corrected Draco "Knowing her it's probably worse than death. Noddy!" he called. With a loud CRACK! a knobby-kneed house elf appeared, bowing so low that the tips of his rested on the floor.  
"Yes young Master?" inquired the elf squeakily. Draco picked a chocolate from the box Blaise was holding and held it out to the house elf. "Eat it" he commanded.  
"Is this really necessary Draco? You don't have to make your house elf eat it." Draco sneered at Blaise  
"Why Blaise, if I didn't know any better I'd have thought you've joined the Mudblood Granger's infernal S.I.C.K. or whatever the hell it is. Eat it" he said forcefully to the hesitant house elf.  
"Yes sir, young Master Sir. Noddy is to be eating it sir, right away" squeaked the house elf, accepting the sweet. He popped it into his mouth, and under the scrutinise gaze of those present, slowly chewed, and swallowed. All of a sudden, Noddy stiffened. Draco clenched the bedpost, convinced that Romilda was out to get him for resisting her advances. Noddy opened his mouth and Draco stiffened, waiting for the inevitable spew of vomit, or worse, blood.  
"Romilda Vane, Romilda Vane, will I ever see her again?" sang the house elf while hopping around. "Romilda Vane, we'll go to Spain, I see you through my windowpane" he belted out off-key as he slammed into Draco's dresser. Blaise threw the box of chocolates away, as if they'd explode in his face, shuddered and sat down next to an amused Draco.  
"Thank you" said Blaise fervently "That was almost me"  
"No need to thank me Zabini" Draco said airily as Noddy prattled on and collided with more furniture. "I think your firstborn child shall suffice"  
Just then, the door opened and Daphne Greengrass walked through with a quizzical look on her face.  
"What is that horrid sound?" she enquired, looking around.  
"Romilda Vane, Romilda Vane, let's dance in the rain, on a train" crooned Noddy, going around in circles.  
"It's gone insane!" she said, turning her large green eyes to meet Draco's silver ones. "What did you do to it?" Draco shrugged. "It's a long story"  
"Well then. How do I look?" she said, twirling around for effect, causing her forest green knee-length dress to flare out.  
"It's very nice Daphne. It matches your lovely eyes" said Draco pleasantly, concealing his boredom and disinterest. Blaise nodded, unable to take his eyes off of her teasingly low cut neckline. Daphne's eyes sparkled with pleasure and she grinned. "Always the charmer Draco"  
A loud CRACK! Heralded the appearance of Fane, keeper of the Malfoy Manor and grounds. He bent stiffly at the waist as if he was a rusty tin soldier and straightened up in the same manner.  
"Dinner is served young Masters and Mistresses. Please make your way to the Dining Room" the wrinkly house elf wheezed Daphne winked at Blaise "Care to escort a lady to dinner?" she asked.  
"Certainly," he replied, offering her his arm. Draco pushed the two friends towards the door  
"Come on, come on, let's go" he said impatiently.

* * *

The dining room was one of the highlights of Malfoy Manor, for money was no issue when it came to them. They got the best because they deserved the best. And indeed, the Manor's trappings were impressive. The dining table, large enough to seat at least 100 people, was fashioned entirely from black marble, with onyx and mother of pearl inlaid on its surface. The chairs were ebony, with the Malfoy crest carved in relief on the back board, and fitted with velvet cushions. The plates, cutlery and goblets were goblin-wrought silver, and the napkins made of the finest linen. The chandelier clinked in soft chimes as the guests began to enter and seat themselves. Draco slid into his seat, and with a long suffering sigh at his bad fortune-being seated next to Pansy- placed his napkin on his lap and waited expectantly for his father to speak. The ever-regal Lucius Malfoy stood up from his place at the head of his table and lifted his goblet, which had just magically filled itself, and cleared his throat. Once all attention was on him, he began to speak.  
"My friends, thank you for joining my family at the Manor this Christmas. Our endeavours are indeed paid off, and we are one step closer to success." Many of the men folk cheered at this and lifted their goblets. Lucius continued with a slight smirk "Our Lord has told me that he is pleased with our efforts so far, and is sure that we will win. After all, it is Christmas. Perhaps we will get our miracle" Several people laughed at that pronouncement and people yelled "hear hear!" as they drank. Food appeared on the table, and people began eating heartily. All except for Draco. He sighed and picked at his food. He much preferred it when it was just the three of them, where all formalities could be dropped in the comfort of each other. Thankfully, no one bothered to comment, not even his usually eagle-eyed mother. He glanced up from his roast beef and gravy and scanned the table, looking for his mother. There she was, sitting at the left of his father, not even engaged in eating or talking, just sitting and pensive. Hs father, although socializing and eating, had a pinched look to his face when he would stop smiling.  
_What's going on?_ Draco wondered.

* * *

Dinner had been finished, dessert served, and the dishes cleared by the time the grandfather clock n the foyer had struck 9. The men had retired to the drawing room, the women to the sitting room, and the few youth who'd shown up were sitting around the far end of the dining room table. Blaise procured a pack of glossy black playing cards.  
"Who's in?" he asked, looking around. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle grunted their assent. Blaise looked around for more volunteers. No one seemed interested at all. Daphne pretended to study the beams supporting the ceiling.  
"Oh all right" Draco snapped, moving closer "I suppose none of you blockheads play then? Count me in Blaise" Finding the architecture in the hall satisfactory, Daphne flounced over to where the boys were sitting. Pansy joined half-heartedly, focused more on trying to keep Daphne as far from Draco as possible instead of cards.  
"So, what'll it be?" asked Blaise, shuffling expertly.  
"Strip Poker" Daphne suggested while Pansy scowled.  
"How about Blackjack?" said Draco. Crabbe and Goyle nodded in unison. Blaise nodded and began to deal out the cards.  
"Blackjack it is. Sorry Daph"  
Daphne didn't look too disappointed "There's always next time" she said, with a wink in Draco's direction. Pansy looked like she wanted to rip out Daphne's hair. Just as they were about to start, Lucius strode into the dining room.  
"All of you are wanted in the library. A very Special guest is wanting of our presence to discuss something very.....important." As they began to make their way out, Lucius put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "You must stay here, Draco."  
"But why?" asked Draco  
"Because I said so" said Lucius coolly as he left. Draco turned to Blaise for an explanation. Blaise spoke hesitantly "My Father said something about, you know who, wanting you to be the first one of us to be marked. And that we're going to watch, to understand how it's done"  
"So why am I not allowed to go if it's really all about me?" asked Draco  
"There's a this thing, where your father has to ask for you to join, and if He deems you worthy, you'll be brought in and marked."  
"So why the secrecy? I've grown up all around this"  
Blaise shrugged. "To make sure no major secrets get out if you aren't allowed to join I guess"  
"Of course I'll be accepted. I'm Draco bloody Malfoy" he said wryly, running his fingers through his hair "You'd best be going then. Blaise nodded, and with a clap on Draco's shoulder, hurried off. Draco waited until all sound ceased before he dashed to his father's study. Catching his breath before the heavy redwood door, Draco pushed back errant strands of hair before he very gently pushed open the door with the pads of his fingers. It gave way smoothly, and Draco quietly made his way through the darkened study filled with so many books that Hermione Granger probably would have a heart attack upon viewing it until he was standing before the imposing life-size portrait of his grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy. He blindly felt around the edges of the frame as Abraxas scowled aristocratically down at him. Feeling the small switch, he flicked it back with his thumb and stepped back a pace as the painting creaked slightly open on a hinge. Opening it a little wider, Draco gathered up his robes in one hand and carefully stepped into the passageway. He felt his way in the darkness, cursing his lack of foresight in not bringing his wand, until he heard faint voices and see a dim light in the distance. The passageway he knew, would lead to a portrait whose eyes had been enchanted to act as a one-way mirror of sorts, which would allow Draco to see exactly what would go on, but would prevent anyone else from seeing him. Levelling his eyes with the holes in the canvas, Draco gazed on at the scene unfolding in the library....

* * *

Lucius smoothed back his long blond hair and kneeled down in front of a red velvet winged-back chair currently holding the Dark Lord Voldemort. He kissed the hem of his Master's robe, keeping his eyes down.  
"Thank you Master for honouring us with your presence. We have waited so long." He murmured. The snake-like creature in the plush chair laid a spidery hand on Lucius's head.  
"We all knew thisss day would come Luciusss. After all, you are part of my Inner sssCircle. It would only be a matter of time before your ssson would walk in your footsteps. I have high expectationsss for Draco"  
"As do I my Lord. You will not be disappointed. Draco has proven to be very obedient and loyal. He will be a great asset to our cause" said Lucius, respectfully standing up. As Voldemort was about to commence with the judging, Narcissa stepped forward.  
"Yesss Narcisssaa?" said the Dark Lord. She prostrated herself before him, kissing his hem.  
"My Lord, I do not mean to question your ways, for you are wiser then I am, and are Master above all things, but I do not feel that Draco is ready my Lord, to take on such a responsibility. In some ways he is still a child. Marking him now, and sending him back to watchful eyes would ensure his surveillance, my Lord. It would greatly hinder any effort." She said in a controlled voice. Behind her, Lucius had retained his composure, but had turned an unhealthy shade of white. Voldemort stared at Narcissa's pale and resolute face unblinkingly for a few moments before speaking.  
"Ssso. You do not think my judgment is sound Narcisssa? Are you insssinuating that I don't know what I am doing? Do you mean to ssay that I, the Dark Lord Voldemort, have made a missstake?" he said softly  
"I only ask as your faithful servant my Lord, that he join informally, but be marked when dangers of detection are past" she said quietly  
"You are lucky your husband has proven himsssself to be of value to me Narcisssa" said the Dark Lord dangerously as he twirled his wand between his fingers. "That isss why I won't kill you for you inssolence. But you mussst be punished. You must be made an example of"  
He pointed his wand at the trembling blonde. "Crucio" he hissed.  


* * *

Draco stumbled away from the portrait, slamming his back into the wall of the stone passageway, a hand over his mouth to muffle the screams that would join his mothers. He shut his eyes and struggled to breathe as he heard her painful shrieks, but all he saw in the darkness was her writhing form, as if the image was burned into his retinas, and he quickly opened his eyes again. Sweat poured down his face, and mingled with the tears that were blurring his vision. The little tunnel was filled with the sound of her vocalized pain, and the repetitions of the reptilian _thing_ below formed into a gruesome mantra that repeated itself over and over in his mind. _Crucio Crucio Crucio Crucio Crucio Crucio Crucio. _He felt like vomiting up his insides on the stone floor, but his mouth was dry and cottony, and even though he gagged, nothing made its way up his esophagus from his clenched stomach. Breathing shallowly, shaking, he forced himself to turn out her hoarse cries and look through the portrait again. His father just stood there. Stood there and did nothing, and Draco found that his unwillingness to stop the torture _bothered_ him. Shock had given way to raging anger. But what could he do? Even if he had a wand, even if he managed to appear, he would be powerless to stop Him. The realization that he could do nothing frustrated Draco, and he punched the wall until his knuckles bled. All of a sudden he realized that everything was quiet. Something inside him told him that his mother was beyond saving.  
It was too late

* * *

**Until next time then. ~S**


	8. Diagon Alley

Christmas morning came soon enough for the Weasley's, and the addition of Harry, Hermione, Sirius and Remus likened the Burrow to a sardine tin. The cozy abode was packed wall to wall with bodies, presents, and LOADS of wrapping paper. Harry, Hermione and the rest of the young Weasley's had taken over the living room and were busying themselves with the opening of gifts, while Molly, with the aid of Remus, was busy preparing breakfast. A light dusting of snowflakes was beginning to coat the countryside as Sirius came through the front door in his heavy woollen coat. Remus met him and the door and helped him hang up his coat.  
"Padfoot you look like you've been dusted with sugar" said Remus bemusedly. Sirius grinned and brushed his hand lightly over his head, stomping his feet to loosen the snow from his shoes.  
"Where were you?" queried Remus, cleaning up the puddles of melted snow with a wave of his wand. He followed Sirius down the hallway as he spoke.  
"I went to visit Adrian, see how he's doing." said Sirius softly, ducking into an empty bedroom and sitting at the edge of the bed. Remus joined him.  
"And how is he?" asked Remus  
"He's okay physically. He's just a bit lonely in the infirmary. Poppy won't let him out of her sight, not after he went missing that time. Not that he doesn't try though, the rascal" said Sirius, chuckling.  
"Is he going to be released soon? He shouldn't be cooped up there for Christmas" said Remus  
"No worries" said the unregistered Animagus, "He's being released soon. I just stopped by to borrow some clothes, he doesn't have any. Who do you suppose is closer to his size?"  
"I think the twins are. Adrian's rather tall isn't he?" asked the werewolf  
"I was about his height in school. I think I've shrunk a bit in my old age though" joked Sirius as he got up.  
"Wait a minute Padfoot" said Remus worriedly "We didn't get him anything for Christmas." Sirius stopped by the door and turned a reassuring face to his friend.  
"I already asked him. All he wants are pictures."  
"Pictures?" echoed Remus  
"Of his mother, of himself, of the three of us" he said, meaning Harry and Remus "And we can always take him shopping later. He needs clothes anyway. And Moony, why are you wearing that?" asked Sirius. Remus looked down at the frilly pink apron and blushed. "Never mind" said Sirius with a grin "I'm not sure I want to know"

* * *

"Alright!" exclaimed Harry, ripping the paper off of yet another gift "A Skiving Snack box, Wildfire Whizbangs, and a...portable Swamp?! Thanks you two!" Fred and George popped up from under a mountain of wrapping paper, grinning "Don't mention it Harry" said Fred  
"Yeah, don't mention it. We owe you anyway, it's the least we could do" said George, disappearing back into the paper mountain with his twin. Ron dug a crimson jumper out of the mess, looked it over, and tossed it to Harry.  
"There you go mate"  
"Thanks Ron, I wondered where it was" said Harry, pulling the snitch emblazoned gift over his head, as Hermione squealed and hugged Ron, whose blush rivalled Harry's jumper.  
"Oh, Ron, how did you know that I wanted Famous_ Witches and the Wizards That Loved Them_by Winifred Wartbobble?"  
The freckled ginger stammered "W-well, I, uh, saw you looking at it when we were in Flourish and Blots, so I-" the rest of his words were cut off by the tightening of Hermione's arms around his neck. Sirius entered the room to the sound of laughter and he smiled.  
"Sirius!" Harry shouted, propelling himself at his godfather, who caught him in a bear hug. "Merry Christmas"  
"Merry Christmas Pronglet" Sirius said into Harry's hair "I've got to go." Harry looked up  
"Why's that?" he asked confused  
"I'm going to need to take some clothes to Adrian, but I'll be back with him soon. Speaking of clothes, Fred, can he borrow some of yours for now? He's a tad shorter then you, but he's got nothing until we take him shopping. Fred? George? Where are you two?" Fred and George jumped out of the wrapping paper pile and brushed themselves off.  
"No problem Sirius" said Fred  
"After all," said George, "Who are we to-"  
"Refuse the great Padfoot?" they said in unison with a bow. "Take whatever you need"  
Just then, Molly Weasley bustled in "Wait a minute Sirius. I knitted him a little something" she said, handing Sirius a dark blue jumper with a great big golden A on it." Sirius took it from her, along with pants and other effects handed to him by one of the twins  
"Molly, I'm touched, I don't know what to say" Molly gavea dismissing wave  
"No need to say anything Sirius. Just bring that boy over. I've heard that he needs to get some meat on his bones"  
"Will do Molly" he said with a charming smile

* * *

"Ugh" said Adrian disgustedly  
"I know it looks...less, then appealing dear, but it's really good for you. Now eat up" said the infirmary matron, setting a breakfast tray on the pullout table over his bed. "It better be gone when I come back young man" she said sternly  
"Yes Ma'am" he said listlessly, dragging his spoon through his clumpy porridge. With a nod of satisfaction, Madam Pomfrey walked back to her office. A _WHOOSH _and a jet of emerald green flame heralded the appearance of Sirus Black and Adrian smiled happily, mindful of his fang teeth, at his father. Sirius set the bundle of clothes down at the foot of the bed, pulled a rectangular wrapped package from his pocket and offered it to the dark-haired youth.  
"What's this?" Asked Adrian curiously, pushing the foldout table aside, breakfast untouched, shaking his long hair out of his eyes and taking the package gently.  
"Oh, just a little something I picked up on the way over" Sirius said nonchalantly "Oh, and I borrowed some clothes from the twins. You're a tad shorter, but it'll work until we go shopping. Here, try this on, Molly knitted it for you" he said, slipping the sweater over his son's head. Adrian pulled it down over his torso and smiled. He picked up the package, inserted a fingernail into the seam and slit it open. Inside the package was leather bound book, in a tasteful black shade, with the phrase _Capax Infiniti_in gothic gold lettering on the front. Adrian rifled through its blank pages  
"It's a journal?" he asked, looking up at his father. Sirius nodded and pointed to the inscription on the front.  
"That's Latin for 'Capable of the Infinite.' Because you are. And I figured it'd be nice to have somewhere to put down your thoughts." He said smiling nervously "I hope you like it" Adrian practically tackled his father in an embrace, and father and son stayed like that for several minutes before breaking apart.  
"Thank you" said Adrian with a happy smile "This is the best Christmas present ever" Sirius grinned and ruffled the young man's hair. "Come on, get dressed. Everyone's waiting for you" Adrian looked around.  
"What about Madam Pomfrey?" he asked pulling on striped socks.  
"Leave her to me" said Sirius with a dashing grin

* * *

Everyone was sitting around the magically elongated table, tucking into an excellent breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast. A gust of cold winter wind signalled the appearance of Sirius and Adrian. Everyone could hear the sound of their boots in the hallway and those who had not yet seen Adrian, looked up, eager for a glimpse. Sirius and Adrian came in, rosy cheeked, hair a mess, smiling like maniacs. Molly got up from the table and caught Adrian in a bone crushing hug which temporarily deprived him of air.  
"Welcome to the Burrow my dear" she guided him to the table. "You already know Ron and Ginny, but there's Percy-"  
"Glad to make your acquaintance" said the prim Weasley, shaking Adrian's hand firmly  
"Fred-"  
"Adrian old chap, how are you?" he said, vigorously shaking Adrian's hand  
"George-"  
"Marvellous my dear boy, I say, absolutely wonderful to meet you" said Fred's twin, shaking hands with equal vigour  
"And Arthur" Mr. Weasley shook his hand, and gestured to two empty seats by Remus.  
"Sirius, Adrian, please, have a seat. Has either of you had breakfast yet?"  
"I don't think infirmary food counts as breakfast" said Adrian as his stomach rumbled. Molly laughed and fixed a plate for Adrian, and for the next 10 minutes, the only sound was of knives and forks on plates.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone had helped clean up the mess in the living room. Most of them sat on the couches and chairs, and some of them, like Adrian and Harry, sat near the blazing fireplace. Ginny was running around with a sprig of mistletoe, trying to get people to kiss, and had so far succeeded with Mr and Mrs Weasley. Her attempts to get Ron and Hermione to smooch however, were failing, not that she didn't try. The two in question were sitting tentatively beside each other, both blushing whenever their fingertips touched. Remus was engaged in a conversation with Mr. Weasley on electricity, and Sirius was sitting on the arm of the couch, smiling down at Harry and Adrian. They reminded him of young versions of himself and James, and he wished James could've been with them for Christmas. Harry yelled triumphantly as he won a round of wizarding chess against Adrian. Sirius chuckled as he watched them play. Harry, with a good natured smile on his face, was waiting patiently for Adrian to make his move while Adrian, sticking the tip of his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, made his move. Such a close proximity to the fire had made both teens rosy cheeked. The firelight played across Adrian's hair, turning some strands a fiery red, or an odd bluish color. Hermione, noticing how Adrian kept brushing his hair out of his face, slipped a ribbon off of a package and held out to Adrian.  
"Here you go Adrian, this might help" she said  
"Thanks 'Mione" he said absently, accepting the ribbon without taking his eyes off of the board. He tied his hair up in a loose ponytail with the shiny gold ribbon and made his next move. Ginny, perhaps tired of trying to get Ron to admit his true feelings via mistletoe, sat down by Harry.  
"Did you have nicknames for us, where you were?" she asked curiously "I mean, no one's ever called Hermione that before." Adrian looked up to notice that the entire room was silent, and they all were watching him, as if they wondered too.  
"Actually, for that matter, _where_ exactly are you from again?" asked one of the twins  
"Now now," said Mrs. Weasley "I don't think it's any of our business, now is it?"  
"It's alright Molly. If Adrian wants, I can give a condensed version" said Sirius. Adrian nodded.  
"Alright, so this is how I understood it. Adrian comes from another universe where I was locked up after killing Peter, and James and Lilly survived. The part that's a bit fuzzy is what happened after the attack. What I got is that due to a mistake, Harry and Adrian were sent to live with Harry's muggle relatives for the first six years of their lives" explained Sirius.  
"But wouldn't they have noticed if Harry was missing if they knew he survived?" Ron asked Sirius.  
"They didn't" said Adrian from his spot in front of the fireplace. "The Ministry told them that Harry and I must've died when the house collapsed, but they never explained why they sent us to the Dursley's until we were in seventh year. Apparently, the minister thought we'd be more motivated and submissive if we lived with muggles. But that all seems like a long time ago."  
"Seventh year?" asked Hermione "But you can't be any older then us"  
"How old are you?" asked Adrian  
"Sixteen" supplied Ron. Adrian started, and then stared in shock.  
"Sixteen makes you sixth years." He said slowly "God, they sent me way back"  
"But how old are you?" Hermione asked again.  
Adrian rubbed the back of his head "Er, 20?" The living room broke out in chatter and noise.  
"You can't be 20!" Hermione cried out "Percy's 20!"  
"That does not make me in the least bit old, I'll have you know" Percy sniffed  
"Does that mean you won't go to Hogwarts with us?" asked Ron  
"I'd like to" admitted Adrian  
"Well, you look young enough" remarked Harry  
"But why?" asked Sirius as everyone quieted down  
"Because...because I made a promise to Harry once, and I..." he trailed off, looking reflectively into the fire  
"And?" prompted Sirius. Adrian turned his piercingly sad gaze on his father.  
"I don't want to fail him again" he said softly. Everyone mulled over the implication of his words for a few moments. Harry was the first to break the silence.  
"You mean, this other me died?"  
"In a sense, I did too" said Adrian softly, staring into the fire.  
Mrs. Weasley leapt up, trying to instill some cheerfulness back into the conversation.  
"Well now Sirius, didn't you say that you would go shopping today?"  
" Mmhmm. Who's with me?" he asked, looking around. Nobody seemed averse to the idea, so he began to direct them to the door. Adrian stopped by the couch, looking concerned.  
"What's wrong Adrian?" asked Harry, pulling on his boots.  
"I don't think that anyone is supposed to know who I really am. I might have to disguise myself." He said. Sirius took a long look at him. "For starters, with your hair up, you look less like me. You're actually very pale, which is a little distressing, but it helps. I think we'll have to use glamours" said Sirius with a hand on his chin.  
"Actually," said Remus, ushering people back into the living room, "Now that we're here, I think we should make up some sort of back-story for Adrian when he enters Hogwarts. I think that the less You-Know-Who knows about him, the better"  
"He's right," said Hermione, sitting back on the couch  
"That won't be a problem" Adrian assured "I've already figured everything out."  
"Ok. Where will you be from?" asked Remus  
"St. Petersburg, Russia. There should be a wizarding school nearby, a St Constantine's I believe"  
"I've heard of it. It's supposed to be very elite" said Hermione  
"So what're you going to call yourself?" asked Sirius  
"I'll use one of my middle names, Dimitri, but it can be shortened to Dima I think. And for my last name, I'll use Belikov."  
"Die-ma Belikov?" asked Ron  
"No Ron, you've got it all wrong. It's Dee-mah. Dima" corrected Hermione  
"Do you even know how to cast glamours?" asked George  
Adrian shrugged "I've never really had to. I'm a metamorphmagus"  
"Awesome!" said Fred, George and Ron in unison  
"Really?" asked Sirius and Hermione  
"No way!" said Ginny  
"Just like Tonks" Harry observed  
"Well, we are related after all. I haven't had much training though. I had to focus on......other things" said Adrian "But I can do small stuff, you know, hair color, eye color, that sort of stuff"  
"But" said Remus "But how will you get transcripts from St Constantine's? All other things aside, they wouldn't have any memory of you"  
Adrian waved a hand dismissively "It's all going to be taken care of. A friend of mine has his hands in quite a few pockets"  
"But still." Piped up Ginny "What will you look like?"  
"Let's see....." Adrian scrunched his eyes shut. His hair grew longer until it was a good two inches past his shoulders. He opened his eyes again.  
"That's really all I can think of changing. I mean I'm rather thin, my lips aren't as thin as my Dads, and I think this scar adds a bit, don't you?" he asked, pointing to the angry pink scar that started from under his eye and ended at his chin in a straight line.  
"The scar makes you look very mysterious" said Ginny "Maybe you should change your eye color" Adrian scrunched his face up and then opened up his eyes. "How's that?" His eyes had gone from a deep blue, to a medium blue-green.  
"Lovely" said Mrs Weasley. "Now I suggest you all get going now, before it gets any colder. Adrian dear, take this cloak, it's chilly out.  
"Thanks Mrs Weasley" he said as Sirius grabbed the floo powder and headed toward the fireplace, with everyone in tow.  
"Ok everyone. Remember, Adrian is Dima, he's from Russia, he's boarding with Remus and I over the holidays, et cetera, et cetera." reminded Sirius. "We'll floo to the Leaky Cauldron and go from there" he tossed a handful of powder into the fire, whose flames flared emerald green.  
"The Leaky Cauldron!"

* * *

Bundled against the cold, Adrian, Harry, Hermione, Sirius and the five Weasley's made their way against the wind to Flourish and Blotts, Percy to pick up a book on influencing people, and the rest to purchase their spellbooks. There would be no trip to Gringotts yet, as Hermione already had her money and Percy was paying for his siblings in a rare act of generosity whilst Sirius and Remus were paying for Harry and Adrian. The bell attached to the door jingled cheerfully as they entered, and the group spilt off to their respective sections.  
"What books did you say you needed again Harry?" asked Sirius, looking through the book displays. Harry pulled a rather crumpled piece of parchment out of his pocket and read off of it.  
"_The Standard Book of Spells Grade 6_ by Miranda Goshawk, _Advanced Potion Making_by Libatius Borage, and _Confronting the Faceless_"  
"Right then" Sirius said to the pimply faced clerk behind the counter "I'll have two each of what he just said, and-" he turned to Adrian, who still had the hood of his cloak over his head, "You don't think you need any of the texts from other years do you Dimitri?" he asked, loud enough for the clerk behind the counter to hear him.  
"Nyet. I have covered all of the course material. All I need are those books" he said, affecting a Russian accent.  
Sirius turned back to the clerk. "That'll be all then, thank you."  
Everyone gradually paid for their things and they headed out again. Adrian froze in the middle of the street.  
"My wand! I forgot my wand!" he whispered in horror.  
"No you didn't" said Ginny, pulling it out, "I noticed that it had fallen out by the fireplace before we left so I picked it up"  
"Thanks Ginny" he said with his accent. She grinned and they began to walk again. Just as she was about to hand the wand over, her foot hit a patch of black ice, and she fell in such a way that they all heard a SNAP! Ron and Harry immediately rushed to her aid  
"Ginny are you alright?" Percy asked worriedly. She got to her feet with Harry and Ron's help.  
"I'm fine but..." she trailed off as she held up Adrian's broken wand "I'm so sorry" Adrian gently accepted his broken wand from Ginny and stood there staring at it for a few moments before slipping it into his pants pocket.  
"We can always get you a new one Adr-Dima. Look, Ollivander's is just over there" said Sirius reassuringly  
"We'll go check up on the business then." Said Fred  
"We'll meet you three there" George said as they set off through the snow-covered path  
"Ok" said Remus, steering a silent Adrian towards the wand makers shop. They walked in silence and entered the dusty, dim building. With his vampiric sight, Adrian could see, in the darkness at the back, what Sirius and Remus could not. The famed (and creepy) British wand maker was slowly making his way to the front holding three long boxes in his thin arms. Adrian smiled as Ollivander made his way into whatever scarce light there was. The silver haired, silver-eyed pale wand maker had not changed at all.  
"I have been expecting you, young man. Let's have a look shall we?" he said in his mysterious and dusty voice. Adrian wordlessly pulled out his broken wand and placed it on the counter in front of the ageless wand maker. Ollivander picked it up deftly with his thin fingers and examined it.  
"Yew, eleven inches, supple, a single unicorn tail hair, excellent. And one of mine it seems, though, for once, I do not recall making it....perhaps my age has caught up with me. No matter. Let's see now" he said, withdrawing a wand from the first dust covered box. "Oak, 10 ½ inches quite rigid, dragon scale" Adrian accepted the proffered wand and gaveit a wave. The window exploded out in a shower of glass. Sirius and Remus ducked reflexively. Ollivander peered up from his hiding spot behind the counter. Sirius fixed the window with a quick "Reparo" Ollivander removed another wand from its box.  
"Oh dear, that won't work at all. Hmm...Here, Birch, 9 inches, supple, with a harpy feather core. Quite difficult to obtain." Adrian waved the wand and accidently set a drape on fire, which Remus quickly extinguished. Ollivanderstared for a few moments at Adrian, who shifted uncomfortably. "I wonder" the old man said to himself. He wandered again to the back. After five minutes, he returned with a box so old and mouldy that it was falling apart as it was exposed to air. Ollivander setit on the counter and removed the crumbling lid. A gleaming wand rested on a bed of moth-eaten purple velvet, not unlike the wand in the display window. The wand maker removed it gently with his thumb and forefinger and held it up to the light.  
"This was one of the first wands I ever made, and my most temperamental one to date. With the right owner, it can be quite a powerful weapon. Ash, 12 ½ inches, bendy, with a Thestral Fang core"  
"Thestral Fang?" asked Remus incredulously. Ollivander nodded.  
"Indeed. I once came upon a Thestral that had broken off one of its fangs trying to devour an Acromantula, something they do not attempt nowadays." Adrian held the wand firmly and gaveit a hesitant wave. Gold sparks issued forth from the tip. Ollivander smiled.  
"How much will it be?" asked Sirius  
"With today's inflation rates, I'd say, maybe 15 galleons" Sirius begrudgingly handed over the money  
"That's nearly twice as much as any other wand" he said.  
"Goodbye Messirs Lupin, Black and Belikov" said Mr. Ollivander with a smile as they exited the little shop.

* * *

"Alright then" said Sirius "Let's meet up with everyone else" Remus stopped him.  
"Wait Sirius, look over there. Shouldn't we take Dima to Madam Malkin's for robes first?"  
"Right! You go with him, there's something I have to go do first" said Sirius, walking away "I'll meet you at Fred and George's!" he called back  
"Ok!" Remus called after him. He and Adrian walked though the piles of snow and entered Madam Malkin's.  
"It's nice and warm in here" remarked Adrian in his Russian accent. Madam Malkin, a pleasantly pudgy witch in hot pink robes, introduced herself.  
"Why hello there! What can I do for you today?" the heavily rouged witch gushed. Unable to deal with such a saccharine and high-pitched grating noise issuing forth from the hole in her face, Remus turned to Adrian and handed him a pouch filled with coins.  
"I think you know what to do right? I'm...err...just going to see where Sirius has gone. I'll find you when you're done"  
"Alright" said Adrian. Remus nodded and left the store with an audible sigh of relief. Adrian turned back to Madam Malkin.  
"I am in need of school robes, and winter wear for the time being. Am I right in assuming you deal in such things?" he spoke with the aristocratic air of someone accustomed to spending money frivolously, and he almost smiled at the greedy look in the witch's eyes. No doubt she was trying to calculate how much money she could get out of him.  
"Why _of course_ my dear!" she said grandly "Follow me now, I'll see to it that you get everything you need!"  
She led him to a room with two pedestals in the middle and backed by a wall of mirrors. There already was someone on one pedestal being fitted for robes, but Adrian could not tell who it was, as their back was to him. He stepped up on the pedestal and Madam Malkin began immediately taking down his measurements. As she did so, she talked.  
"So what brings you to England my dear? No doubt you aren't from around these parts on account of your accent hmm?"  
"I am from Russia" answered Adrian stiffly in his accent. He wished she'd just do her job and leave him in peace.  
"Russia! How delightful!" She exclaimed "You'll be going to Hogwarts then? Excellent school it is"  
Adrian grimaced. "I'll just pop out for a moment love, I'll be right back with some lovely fabrics to choose for your winter wear" As soon as she left, the person on the other pedestal turned to face him, and Adrian's heart skipped a beat in the realization that he was staring back at Draco Malfoy. Although he had not known Draco very well during his time at Hogwarts, he was known for his ruthlessness, his dedication to blood purity, and his devotion to the Dark Lord. Adrian hoped that this Draco was different. But then again, even in alternate universes, some things stayed constant. This explained why this world's version of Voldemort wasn't a flouncing ponce with a love of fishnets and leather pants.  
"She really won't shut up you know" Draco remarked in his soft British accent "She could talk the ear off of a house elf. I'm Draco Malfoy" he held out his hand, which Adrian firmly shook.  
"Dimitri Belikov." Draco looked him over.  
"Do you come from an old family?"  
" Yes. I come from one of the oldest pure-blooded families in all of Russia" he said, telling a little white lie. Seeming satisfied, Draco asked "So, what House do you think you'll be in?" Adrian shrugged, feigning ignorance.  
"I do not know about these Houses" Madam Malkin came back in with pieces of fabric draped over her arms.  
"Here we are! Take your time dear" Draco rolled his eyes.

* * *

After some searching, Remus managed to locate Sirius in Magical Menagerie. He entered the shop, making his way through the haphazardly stacked cages and display cases. It was noisy, hot and smelly, but at the moment anything would be a welcome change from the chill of the wind. Sirius had his back to Remus and was so preoccupied that he didn't even hear his friend sneak up behind him.  
"Boo!" shouted Remus as he grabbed Sirius's shoulders. Sirius yelled and nearly fell into the cages in front of him, but Remus had a firm grip on him.  
"You nearly gave me a heart attack Moony" complained Sirius as he clutched his chest. Remus grinned and patted his friends shoulder good naturedly.  
"You need some excitement in your life Padfoot"  
Sirius snorted "I'm pretty sure I've had enough excitement to last me a lifetime" he said. Remus laughed. Sirius pointed to a silver cage, in which was housed a bird of medium build, with dark black and brown stippled wings, and a black tail. "What do you think of this one?" he asked. Remus took a look at the tag attached to the cage.  
"_Falco peregrinus, Female, 2 years old." _He looked over at Sirius. "I think it'll be a great present"  
Sirius grinned and gently picked up the cage. The falcon cocked her dark head and regarded them with intelligent eyes. She squawked irritably as Sirius began to gently take the cage to the register. "Easy girl" he said "I think you're going to make someone very happy"

* * *

Even though his fitting was over and done with, Draco Malfoydecided to stick around and observe the foreign boy. He knew that any friendship with this boy would possibly prove advantageous. At the moment, he was casually leaning against a wall at Madam Malkin's as the Russian boy, Dimitri Belikov, was picking out fabric swatches. As he picked out colours and fabrics, he was asking questions of Draco.  
"So these Houses, what are they exactly?" he asked in accented English, picking out a dark blue fabric.  
"There are four houses at Hogwarts" answered Draco "Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Each house can earn or lose points depending on the actions of its house members, and at the end of the year, the points are tallied up, and whichever house has the most wins the house cup."  
"No not the green stitching, gold. No, I vant it black. Vhatever is in style--So does it matter vhat house you are in?" Dimitri asked, moving on to the cut of his robes. Draco shifted slightly into a more comfortable position. "Most people will say no" Dimitri looked up. "But you think differently, da?"  
"Each house has its own characteristic you see. Slytherins are sly and cunning, Ravenclaws are intelligent, Hufflepuffs are...passive and Gryffindors..." he sneered "are the most dunderheaded lot you'll meet"  
"I see" Dimitri said as he stepped off of the pedestal. He turned to Madam Malkin and addressed her "Are we finished?" The plump shop proprietor nodded her arms full of cloth. "Who should I make the bill out to my dear?"  
The Russian waved his hand casually. "There is no need. I vill pick them up vhen they are ready, and pay you then, da?"  
" No problem then dearie. They should be ready in about two or three days then."  
"Listen, do you need anyone to show you around? I know Diagon Alley like the back of my hand" said Draco. Dimitri thought for a minute. "Vhy not?" he said as he opened the door. "Goodbye dears" Madam Malkin called out. "Do Svidaniya" Dimitri called back. They began to walk together through the Alley, with Draco pointing out interesting shops.

* * *

Adrian walked along with Draco as he talked, boots crunching in the snow. As he tuned out the chatter, he thought. _I should be friends with him_ he thought._It makes sense. What better way to know what Voldemort's doing then to befriend Draco? Yes, I think that is what I'll do. But if I'm going to keep this up, I can't be in Gryffindor...too suspicious._He snapped out of it, aware that Draco had asked him a question. "Prastite- err pardon?"Draco repeated his question. "So where did you get that scar?" he questioned, his grey blue eyes on Adrian's face.  
Adrian looked seriously at Draco "I got it in a fight" he said. It wasn't exactly a lie. They stopped walking.  
Draco coolly appraised his new companion. After a moment, he said "I'm impressed. What does the other guy look like?" They began to walk again. Adrian snuck a lookat Draco out of the corner of his eyes. He genuinely looked like he wanted to know. "Forget about it. Is no big deal" said Adrian. Draco looked like he was going to weed an answer out of him, but thankfully they ran into Remus and Sirius, the latter of which had a bulky package swinging gently from his fingers. Both of them looked surprised at seeing Draco Malfoy in his company.  
"Dimitri, there you are. Oh, hello Draco" said Remus "We'd best go meet up with everyone and get going then, hmm?" Draco looked back and forth between Adrian and the two professors. "Hold up, he's staying with you?"  
"Yes in fact. We were the only two professors with room available, as Dimitri understandably doesn't want to spend Christmas at Hogwarts"  
"Point taken. See you at Hogwarts then?" he asked Adrian. Adrian nodded.  
"It was a pleasure meeting you" he said. The three of them watched the departing blond. When he was well out of sight, Sirius turned to Adrian. "Let's get going, Everyone's already at the Burrow" he grinned "Wait till you see what I got you"

* * *

They arrived at the Burrow in a rush of green flames. As he stepped out of the grate and dusted off his boots, Adrian could hear laughter and jovial shouting coming from the vicinity of the living room. Slipping off his jacketand boots, he finally noticed the package from earlier still on Sirius's grasp, horrible wrapping job and all. "Go on" said Sirius, setting the package onto the floor before Adrian and stepping back. Adrian knelt softly before it and gently tore off the wrapping paper. The peregrine gave a mighty "Caw-rek-rek-rek" and Adrian broke into a happy smile. "Thank you so much" he said, turning to face Remus and Sirius "For everything." Sirius gave him a hug.  
"Don't mention it kid" he said. "Now go have fun." Adrian gently removed the Falcon from her cage, and with her perched on his arm, went to show her to the others.

* * *

Everyone had crowded around Adrian, admiring the newest addition to their avian family.  
"What are you going to name her?" asked Harry as he gently stroked a wing.  
"I'm not sure. I was thinking of something in Celtic or Welsh." said Adrian.  
"How about Aderyn?" asked Hermione. "It means 'bird' in Welsh"  
"That's a great name 'Mione, thanks" said the longhaired youth, whose companion clicked in acceptance. He frowned for the briefest of seconds, but his countenance quickly smoothed over. He turned to Fred and asked him a question. "Fred, would you mind taking care of Aderyn for a tic? I have to do something"  
"No worries" said one half of the Dynamic Duo, accepting the proffered bird. Adrian slipped out of the room, followed in silent pursuit by Hermione, who had noticed the frown. Harry and Ron exchanged glances at the sudden departures, but chose not to follow. Hermione would probably tell them later.

* * *

Hermione quietly made her way up the crooked haphazard steps until she made it to Fred and George's old room. Since the twins were now living in a flat above their store and had only come home for the holidays, their old room had temporarily become a guest bedroom for Adrian, Harry and Ron. Hermione could see Adrian's figure through the partially open door, sitting on one of the beds with his back to her. She let her presence be known by pushing the creaky door open with the fleshy pads of her fingertips. Adrian had already sensed her presence due to his preternatural hearing, and he now turned around to face her. "Yes?"  
"Are you alright Adrian? You looked a bit troubled back there" she said, walking across the room. He sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Well, actually, it's hard to explain"  
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. He motioned for her to sit down, and she sat down beside him on the bed, which let out a scream of protest. He tore out the ribbon in his hair and ran his fingers through the black locks in frustration. "It's, well, it's like I know you, but I don't. You probably don't understand. " he said not unkindly, picking idly at the bedspread. Hermione laid a hand on his arm.  
"But I do!"  
He looked up in surprise "You do?" She nodded in assent and moved the slightest bit closer.  
"How can I explain it-it's like we are the people you know, but at the same time, we aren't because we don't have the same memories and same experiences, right?"  
"Exactly!" he said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. "I mean, I obviously care for you all. But this is wrong. Not you, me" he said hastily at her look of alarm. He went back to picking at the bedspread, his hair falling down over his face like a dark velvet curtain. He seemed to be in quiet contemplation, his brow showing the slightest crease of worry. They sat in silence, acutely aware of the muted noise of the festivities below. After a moment of introspective quiet, Hermione spoke again.  
"What do you mean? You seem perfectly fine with me. Is it, something else?"  
"That's the thing Hermione." He said in a low voice, levelling his gaze with hers. "I'm not a nice guy by nature. Never have been. And for me to trust you all, so quickly, is not normal. Not for me anyway. Thanks to the world I lived in, I'm unshakably paranoid. And dangerous."  
"But-" she began to speak. He held up a finger.  
"Just listen for a moment. It's like waking up one morning and finding everyone you love looking the same, but inwardly not, like they've been replaced by aliens. It's a horrible feeling. You're lucky, all of you, because you live in a world where everything I've experienced may never come to pass. That being said, my being here might just be the catalyst for everything to go wrong. I don't know. Not yet. But you must never forget, however much you like me or trust me, that I am dangerous." Before Hermione could respond, Fred hollered from the bottom of the stairs.  
"Oy, you two aren't snogging are you? Get your bloody arses down here and take this bird back, I think she's getting jealous!"  
"We should go" said Hermione softly, getting up. Adrian got up as well. Hermione paused in the doorway, turned around and hugged Adrian fiercely, her face buried in his chest. He held her gingerly, not wanting to break anything on account of his strength.  
"Love you" he whispered into her hair.  
Another great "Oy!" from Fred had them moving quickly down the stairs, ready to join everyone again.

* * *

Making sure his purchases were intact, Draco made his way up the steps of Malfoy Manor, the blood wards admitting him entry. The heavy doors slammed open, bringing in a sharp winter wind scented with pine. Draco knew by the lack of House Elves scurrying around that his father was not home, and he counted his lucky stars. Ever since the "incident" two days ago, Draco hadn't spoken a single word to his father, nor sought him out. He had divided his time between his room and his mothers. Indeed, nary a word had been spoken betwixt the two ever since their argument later that night, after everyone had left the Manor and the house elves were tending to Lucius's "little problem." Draco set his packages on the floor of his room and flung himself on his bed, face buried in his arms. He did not cry. Malfoys don't cry. There was a hard lump in his chest that would go hot with hatred and cold with anger constantly, greatly restricting his breathing so that he had to close his eyes and slip on a mask of cool indifference before he could attempt anything. Satisfied that he had control of himself, he got off of the bed, selected two small packages and one long one of the pile, and gently made his way to his mother's room. The door was ajar, and he could dimly make out the shapes of the two house elves assigned to his mother. The curtains were drawn and the entire room was shrouded in darkness. He made his way to his mother's bedside and carefully placed the packages on her bedside table before smoothly straightening up, going to the windows and pulling aside the curtains one by one. The House elves were thrown into an uproar.  
"What is you doing master!" cried Monty, tugging hard and his sleeve in an attempt to stop him. The room began to light up.  
"Horrors! Oh horrors!" cried Bertha, shielding her eyes "We is getting it now Monty. Master is going to give us clothes!"  
"Sod off, the both of you" said Draco coldly "Get out." He swept the last curtain back, leaving the whole room bathed in light. Neither house elf moved. Monty wrung his hands and Bertha tugged at her ears in agitation.  
"GET OUT!" yelled Draco. They scampered out of the room in fear. The prone body lying on the bed gave no notice of the ruckus, nor the change of surroundings. It was to this prone figure that Draco now went, kneeling by the side, and tenderly stroking his mother's long blond hair, now streaked liberally with grey and white. He surveyed the damage for the umpteenth time since it was over. She was a shell of her former self, with her drawn pale face and vacant expression. There was no spark of recognition, all she did was stare at the ceiling, blink and breathe. Though she had miraculously retained most body function, she would drool on occasion, and it broke Draco's heart to see his mother reduced to this. But there was more anger then sadness, so he did the one thing that calmed him the most: he talked to her.  
"Hello Mum. I went to the Alley today. I met this bloke, he's Russian, see, and he'll be going to Hogwarts. He's got this wicked scar he says he got in a fight, and he looked totally serious when he said it too. I think he's an ok no-nonsense kind of guy, but I don't know for sure. He's living with Sirius Black you know. I'm kind of hoping that he'll be able to help me out of this" he said softly to her "And if I get out of here, I'm taking you with me Mum. I'll teach them not to mess with us, and you and I, we can go to France. Does that sound nice?" He suddenly remembered the packages and pulled them towards him. "I got you things. Let's see" He opened the first package to reveal a pretty gold and porcelain bird with diamond eyes and outstretched wings. "Here's another sparrow for your collection Mum" he said, setting it on a shelf where countless other unique birds flocked. He opened the second small package and pulled out a silver, gold and lapislazuli bracelet, slipping it onto her delicate wrists. He opened the longer package and pulled out a set of silver wind chimes decorated with orchids and fairies, stood up and magically affixed them to the ceiling. They tinkled softly with Draco's movement, and he bent down and kissed his mothers forehead. Before he left, he drew the curtains closed.


	9. Chocolate or Vanilla?

**If anyone can read and understand Russian and sees that something is off, I'm sorry. I'm using translators and having to translate them myself into the English alphabet. If you know how it really should be spelt, or worded, please, please message me and I will make the necessary corrections**.

* * *

On the morning that class was to resume, Adrian woke up because of incessant rapping on the window. He sat up, blearily wiped the sand from the corners of his eyes and yawned. There was a large sleek raven sitting on the window ledge and tapping a beat on the windowpane. He saw that the noise had woken Harry, but not Ron, who lay open mouthed and snoring on his back.  
"Whuzzat?" asked Harry thickly, groping for his glasses. Adrian laughed.  
"Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door..." he quoted as he bent down and retrieved a bottle of sunscreen at 150 SPF, specially designed, said the manufacturer, for those with severe 'sun sensitivity' and rubbed some into his hands, face and the back of his neck. Harry had untangled himself from his sheets and was in the act of attempting to open the swollen windowpane.  
"Ugh! It won't budge." He said, grunting with effort. Harry stepped aside as Adrian wedged his fingers under the small opening Harry had managed to attain, and in one slow fluid motion, opened the window. They saw now the package the raven was carrying as it flew in and settled itself on Adrian's bedspread. Harry meanwhile was looking at Adrian in wonder.  
"How did you open that? No one's been able to open it all the way for years"  
"You just need to jiggle it a bit" Adrian lied, closing the window again. "Now let's see why Craven is here"  
Harry and Adrian sat on the bed, and as Adrian was untying the package Harry said "You know who he belongs to?" Adrian had successfully untied the package and was absentmindedly petting Craven, who had hopped on his shoulder. It was a large cardboard box wrapped in brown paper and obviously enchanted to be nearly weightless. As he was opening it, Adrian spoke.  
"You know when I was missing from the hospital wing?"  
Harry nodded. "I don't think Sirius wanted us to know exactly what was going on, but Extendable ears do come in handy." Adrian laughed again. Startled by the shaking, Craven alighted to the dresser.  
"Of course they do. Well, I was visiting an old friend, and this no doubt is from her." He began to gently remove the contents under Harry's watchful eye. In the box there was a large dark brown sable fur coat in the Russian style, accompanied by a Papakha, a cylindrical fur hat not unlike those of the Queen's guard. There was a pair of soft black leather gloves, a black cashmere scarf, an Ushanka, the Russian fur hat with ear flaps, and many shirts and pants of the tailored style favoured by the fashionable western world in muted but flattering colors. As well as those, a myriad of monogrammed handkerchiefs bearing the initials _DB_ in cursive script, and all the necessities like underwear, ties and socks. There was also a set of suitcases, monogrammed in the same manner, made in black suede and obviously shrunken. Harry was staring at all the clothes on the bed in awe.  
"All this came from that box?" he said incredulously. Adrian looked inside the box again.  
"Oh hold on, there's a letter in here." He pulled the parchment out of its envelope, unfolded it and began to read:

_Adrian,_

_News has come to me of your arrival. As such, I have included some articles of clothing that should be of use to you in keeping up your charade. Don't worry about how I know, We have eyes everywhere. Don't forget your training, or why you're here in the first place Adrian. You are always welcome in Moscow._

Orpheus  
P.S. Selene has asked me to send someone to look after you. I know you don't like that, but I'm afraid we cannot take risks this time around. You know what I mean. Expect to see your escort at the station. You'll know who they are.

Folding it back up again with a heavy sigh, he retrieved his wand from the bedside table, walked over to the window and opened it again, unleashing a gust of icy wind into the room and finally succeeding in waking up Ron. The poor ginger shot up out of bed with a yell.  
"ARGH! Why is it so cold in here?!"  
"Sorry Ron" said Adrian as he proceeded to burn the letter and scatter the ashes outside. Harry laughed and patted a grumbling Ron on the back, who then noticed all the clothes on the bed. He scrambled over as Adrian shut the window.  
"What's this?" asked Ron  
"Was it from your friend then, Adrian?" asked Harry has he pulled on his clothes. Adrian tucked his wand behind his ear.  
"Clothes, and no Harry, it was from her brother. Hold on" Adrian set the miniature suitcases on the floor, stepped back, and with a wave of his wand, restored them to their original size.  
"Whose brother?" asked Harry  
"Is this real fur?" asked Ron, putting the Papakha on his head. Adrian opened the first suitcase.  
"Could you two help me pack?"

* * *

The Burrow was filled with the sound of early morning crashing and banging, due to everyone lugging their suitcases one step at a time down the staircase. Those who had already brought their things down were seated at the kitchen table eating breakfast, and they were at present waiting for only Adrian, who was still in the process of changing.  
"Adrian, are you still doing your hair? It's been hours!" Fred called out teasingly.  
"Oh hush Fred, and eat your breakfast" said Molly "And besides, he happens to have lovely hair" at which Hermione and Ginny nodded in agreement. Just then, Percy came into the kitchen and set his suitcase down by the door.  
"Where are you going Perce?" asked George. Percy sat down next to Ginny and began to butter his toast.  
"I'm going to Hogwarts" he said calmly. Ron swallowed his pancakes.  
"What for?" he said, which was repeated by the twins.  
"For Ministry business." He said. "And I'd ask the same of the two of you" he said, indicating the twins.  
"We have a perfectly good reason!" said Fred  
"And everyone knows what Umbridge was doing. We just acted on behalf of the student body" said George, referring to what was now known as "The Umbridge Incident" or, as Fred and George liked to call it, "Operation Toadface"  
"Besides," said Fred around a mouthful of pancake "Dumbledore offered to let us come back and finish up"  
"And that was very nice of him too. You two had best behave, or else" Mrs. Weasley threatened good-naturedly, going back into the kitchen.  
"Yes Mum" they mumbled, exchanging winks with each other. Just then, they heard Adrian coming down the stairs.  
"Finally!" said George.  
"Morning all" said Adrian as he entered the kitchen with his fur coat slung over his shoulder and the cylindrical Papakha under his arm. He put them in the living room and came back to sit at the table.  
"Where did you get those clothes Adrian? They look nice" commented Ginny, studying his clothing. He was attired quite nattily in a soft black turtleneck which defined his torso without being showy, and crisp black pants. His long black hair was tied back with a dark blue ribbon.  
"A friend sent them this morning. Oh, and thanks Percy for the parchment and quill"  
"Think nothing of it" said Percy, spreading jam on his toast. "Had a letter to send?"  
"You could say that" said Adrian, pouring syrup on his pancakes. There was a tapping at the window, and Hermione got up to let Aderyn in, who immediately deposited a largish envelope in Adrian's lap, and perched on the back of his chair.  
"Excellent" he said, wiping his mouth, and opening it.  
"What's that my dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley, who had returned with sandwiches in brown bags for their lunch. Adrian pulled out the papers and began to rifle through them.  
"A birth certificate, transcripts from St. Constantine's, a letter from the Headmaster to be given to Dumbledore, and pictures."  
"Pictures of what?" asked Hermione, leaning over to look. He handed them to her.  
"My 'parents', things like that"  
"They're unbelievably pretty" said Hermione, passing around the pictures. There were murmurs of agreement as the pictures made their way around the table. They were snapshots of Selene and Orpheus, in and around their manor, along with shots of a dark-haired baby and child that could pass for him. He smiled. _So they decided to pose as my loving parents for the time being,_ he thought in amusement. _Imagine what people would think if I said that they were brother and sister._ Pushing his chair back, he went to his suitcase and set the papers and the letter on top of it, and put the pictures inside of it.  
"Where are Sirius and Remus?" he said, noticing their absence.  
"Oh, they had to go to Hogwarts early because they're professors. But you'll see them when you arrive dear" said Mrs. Weasley, using magic to clean up the breakfast things. "Now get a move on, all of you" she said. with a smile.

* * *

Standing on Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station, waiting for the train, Adrian could feel people looking at him and with his supernatural hearing could tell that some people were curious; some were gobsmacked, and others suspicious at the sight of him. Not that he could blame them. He was quite an imposing sight in his dark sable fur coat and his black Papakha, and looked quite out of place in a place where most people were wearing sweaters with warming charms, or thick winter coats like the Weasleys. He paid them no mind. His thoughts were on what was to happen when he got to Hogwarts. The Sorting. Adrian was slightly apprehensive, but he tried not to get too caught up in it. Sticking with the facts was best. He already knew there was no way he could be in Gryffindor if he wanted to get the inside scoop on Voldemort's activities, but more than that, was hoping that if he did end up in Slytherin that Harry and all of them, his father especially, were okay with it. It was a silly fear, he knew, but an all too real one. He was, after all, still grieving the loss of the Harry that he had known for his entire life, and he didn't want to lose this one either. He briefly considered Ravenclaw, but decided that he could kill two birds with one stone by finding out about Voldemort's activities and at the same time, mending the division between Slytherin and Gryffindor. He recalled that one of the reasons that the Final Battle was so difficult was that most of Slytherin had remained divided, and fought with Voldemort. If he were able to get the four houses to unite, there would be a greater chance of their victory. It would be risky, but it would be worth it.  
As he was lost in his thoughts, he saw out of the corner of his eye, a figure approaching him, wearing a similar fur coat and Ushanka that shielded her from the weak winter sun. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione had also noticed, and turned to face the approaching being. She stepped up to Adrian and greeted him with a "Dobry Dyen Dima, Good morning" and a kiss on both cheeks. With everyone in their group looking on curiously, they conversed in Russian.  
"Всё в порядке? _Is everything alright?_" the dark haired girl asked.  
"Да. Что ты тут делаешь Светлна? _What are you doing here Svetlana?_" he asked. She flashed her fang teeth in a quick smile and leaned in.  
"On menya poslal. _He sent me_"  
Adrian sighed in frustration "Ladno. _Alright._ I was hoping that it wasn't you"  
He turned to the others, who looked utterly confused.  
"This is Svetlana, from St. Constantine's. She's what they call an "assimilating agent" he whispered  
"A what now?" asked Ron  
"I think he means that she's a representative from St. Constantine's who will make sure Adr-Dima is properly settled" said Hermione. Svetlana gave Hermione a close lipped smile.  
"Right you are" she said, her words coming out in a natural accent more pronounced than the one Adrian was adopting. She shook Hermione's hand.  
"Svetlana Panova."  
"Hermione Granger" replied Hermione, shaking her hand firmly  
"Nice to meet you"  
A round of introductions were induced. Afterwards, Svetlana pulled Adrian the slightest bit away and began whispering.  
"Do you know where you will be placed?" she asked in a frequency too low to be picked up by human hearing.  
"Not yet, but I have a pretty good feeling of where I'll be" he whispered back. To those looking over, they looked like two young people who were standing together in silence, for their lips barely moved.  
"I will have to go with you, just in case" she said, her black bobbed hair swaying gently in the wind.  
"Are these your orders? To follow me?" he asked with a tinge of anger "Orpheus knows that I am capable of taking care of myself" Her large hazel eyes, with their expertly applied eyeliner, met his blue-green ones.  
"He told me everything. And like he said, we don't want to take any risks. Do you think I like to babysit?"  
He snorted "I'm not a baby"  
Her red lips stretched into a sardonic smile. "Darling, you forget that 245 years separate us. I would call this babysitting. You have no choice anyway. Either we do this the nice way, or I get nasty" She smiled again, showing off her fangs. "You wouldn't like me nasty"  
"Fine." He said begrudgingly "Do you promise to be nice to them?" he indicated the group by the platform.  
"That I can do" she said, taking a cigarette out of her pocket and lighting it.  
"So," she said, exhaling smoke and taking another drag "When is this damn train coming anyway?"  
"Would you stop that?" he asked, annoyed by the smoking. "It's unhealthy"  
She laughed hard and butted out her smoke as the bells began to clang, signalling the arrival of the train. They rejoined the others, who tried not to look at Svetlana for too long, especially Percy, who would blush when she winked at him. Svetlana leaned toward Adrian.  
"There is a boy watching you" she said into his ear  
"What does he look like?" Adrian asked quietly  
"Hmm...Pale, blond. He has the look of old money about him, an aristocrat if I ever saw one" she said amusedly "He looks nice enough, but there is something hard and cold about him. Is he one of us?"  
Adrian laughed softly "You would think so, he's so pale. But no. He's living." Adrian turned to her suddenly, a question on his lips  
"What will you do to feed?" he asked, sounding worried. She rolled her eyes.  
"Relax. I'm not going to feed on them if that's what you're worried about. I'll find a way"  
"Actually, I have something that might come in handy. We might have to share though"  
"What is it?"  
"It's a flask, enchanted to fill up with blood. It's from a blood bank, but its human and its hot"  
She eyed him in disbelief. "A flask" she repeated. Adrian shrugged.  
"Take it or leave it Sveta" he said as they began to board the train.  
She smacked his arm "I hate that name"  
He grinned. "I know. Come on; let's get a compartment with the others."

* * *

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle settled into their customary compartment, and Blaise, Daphne and Pansy joined the three of them not too long afterwards. Draco was slumped by the window; Pansy had attempted to sit beside him, but Goyle thankfully could not be moved.  
"So Draco, who were you staring at on the platform?" asked Pansy, trying to start a conversation.  
"Hm? Oh nobody." said Draco carelessly, looking at the passing countryside. His hands clenched in anger, but he quickly adopted an attitude of indifference. Inside, he screamed to be left alone. He had no love or want of any conversation or company, and wished that Pansy would leave him alone.  
"Anyway, has everyone heard about the new boy?" said Blaise, sitting back and putting his arm around Daphne, who was squished between him and Crabbe. He smartly stayed off of the topic of Christmas break, and even Pansy had the sense to stay quiet. They all knew what had happened to Draco's mother, and didn't want to anger Draco by saying something careless.  
"What new boy?" asked Pansy, who genuinely had no idea.  
"He's Russian, from Moscow. He was going to St. Constantine's." said Blaise  
"But it's supposed to be one of the best in all of Europe. Why is he coming here of all places?" asked Daphne.  
"I dunno" said Blaise, shrugging. Daphne smiled and smoothed her hair down.  
"It doesn't matter. Have you seen him? He's gorgeous. That scar makes him look so mysterious!"  
Draco tore is eyes away from the scenery flashing by the window for a moment to say "He told me he got it in a fight"  
"You've met him?" asked Daphne breathlessly.  
"Yeah. He was getting fitted for robes and I happened to be there" said Draco casually, looking back out the window.  
"I hope he's in Slytherin" said Pansy, figuring that Daphne would leave Draco alone if she was with the new boy. Draco scowled at the ceiling and sat up.  
"I doubt it Pansy" he said coldly "he's been living with Black and Lupin, which means that he's no doubt made friends with Potter. He'll be in Gryffindor for sure."  
Draco spent the rest of the train ride in silence, staring out the window.

* * *

The carriage ride to the castle was uneventful. Adrian felt his heart swell with joy when Hogwarts came into view, and he closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, as if in prayer. Svetlana squeezed his hand gently as they disembarked. She stayed with him in the entrance hall as the others went into the Dining Hall.  
"We'll see you in there" said Harry, patting him on the back.  
"Hermione" called Adrian, affecting his accent. She came back, as Harry and Ron waited for her.  
"Yes?" she asked  
"Would you...would you hate me if I didn't go into Gryffindor?" he asked  
"You mean if you went into Slytherin? No, I never would. You have a reason to be here, and the three of us wouldn't dare stop you. Harry will understand, and so will Ron when I explain it."  
McGonagall was walking out to meet them.  
"I'll see you in there, Dima" Hermione hugged him and went into the Hall with Ron and Harry.  
The severe older witch stopped in front of them.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts Mr. Belikov" she said in her Scottish brogue "And who is this?" she asked, looking at Svetlana. Svetlana whispered something into McGonagall's ear, and the older witch nodded.  
"Very well. After you both are sorted, you may speak to the Headmaster Ms. Panova. Now follow me, the Headmaster has finished his explanation regarding your arrival."  
They followed behind her as the doors swung open. Adrian and Svetlana both looked straight ahead. Svetlana could see out of the corners of her eyes what the boys thought of the way she swung her hips, and what the girls thought of the figure Adrian cut. There was a stool in the middle of the hall, and on it was a very patchy old hat. Svetlana was confused, but didn't show it. She decided to do whatever Adrian did. The three of them stopped before the hat and looked up at the Headmaster. Dumbledore smiled down benevolently at them.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Let the sorting begin, and then we shall eat, as no doubt some of you are hoping" he said, looking around the hall, his eyes twinkling madly. McGonagall took and step back and read from a scroll in her hand.  
"Belikov, Dimitri" The muttering began. McGonagall motioned for silence.  
Adrian took off his Papakha and handed it to Svetlana. He then sat on the stool and put the hat over his head.  
_Hmm...You're an odd one, aren't you? I see you're supposed to be dead. But what's this....aha, I see. Oho, won't this be fun! Let's see...you're most definitely loyal...very intelligent, ah, but you have quite an agenda don't you? Mmhmm. Interesting. Take care you don't harm anybody if you know what I mean. Those fangs must be sharp. Alright, here goes nothing.  
_"SLYTHERIN!" yelled the hat. There was applause as Adrian looked over and the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron both looked shocked, but they relaxed when a calm Hermione whispered something to them. Adrian got up and snuck a peek at the professors table. Remus looked worried, his father was pale, Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like sparklers and Snape looked as though he would vomit up toads. Adrian made his way to the Slytherin table with his hat tucked under his arm. Room was made and he found himself sitting by Draco Malfoy, who gave him a sharp acknowledging nod, which Adrian returned. Svetlana was seated on the stool now, and after a pause, the hat exclaimed "SLYTHERIN" and Svetlana made her way to the table, seating herself on Adrian's other side. Draco held out his hand as food magically began appearing.  
"Draco Malfoy"  
"Svetlana Panova" she said, giving his hand a shake.  
"Nice to make your acquaintance" he said, discreetly rubbing his hand on his pants. Her hand was like ice.

* * *

Dinner left no room for conversation and was over soon enough. Moving onto dessert, Draco noticed that both Dimitri and Svetlana ate next to nothing for dinner and were now picking at their strawberry tarts.  
"Are you alright Belikov?" asked Draco. Dimitri looked up and gave a small smile.  
"Da. I'm fine. Could you tell me the name of the girl that keeps looking at me?"  
Draco looked over. "That's Daphne Greengrass. Do you like her? I can set you up"  
"No thank you." said Dimitri "She scares me"  
Draco gave a low laugh "She's very direct. Listen, is Svetlana your girlfriend? I could tell Daphne to lay off."  
"That is very kind of you, but not necessary. Svetlana and I are not together."  
Draco's mouth stretched into a mirthless smile. "Don't let Daphne hear that or you'll never get a moment's peace until she gets what she wants." Draco could feel Dimitri's eyes on him, and he looked right back.  
"What?"  
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. Draco thought he saw something like pity flash in the blue-green eyes locked to his own. Before Draco could speak, Daphne interrupted.  
"Oh, Draco's fine! The train ride is just soo long and tiring!" she said in an over bright voice. "Do you need anyone to show you to your room?" asked Daphne. It was clear what she really asking about. Draco's face became pinched and dark, and he was contemplating jumping up and murdering her right there, which was not a good idea. Dimitri's face was solemn and unsmiling as he arched an eyebrow and coldly said "No thank you, Madam. If you'll excuse me, I had asked my friend here a question, and I am awaiting an answer." Draco had started at the mention of "friend" and smiled inwardly to himself. He liked this boy. He was direct, and obviously not afraid to speak his mind. Him being friends with Potter either showed his ignorance or the fact that he didn't give a damn about what anyone thought of him. Draco was willing to bet on the latter.  
"You know Belikov, I think I like you. You're not afraid to speak your mind. We need more people like you around here" Draco said in his characteristic drawl.  
"Please," said the Dimitri, holding up a pale hand, "My friends call me Dima"  
"Alright then Dima" said Draco, holding out his hand, "You can call me Draco. Welcome to Slytherin"  
They shook on it.

* * *

Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione had just finished explaining things to Harry, Ron and Ginny. The four of them were huddled so close together that their heads were touching.  
"So your saying that he's doing this on purpose?" whispered Harry.  
"Exactly" Hermione whispered back.  
"Well, I dunno about you, but I'd feel better knowing that he isn't a traitor" whispered Ron  
"Ron!" said Ginny in a low voice  
"Well you never know!" said Ron defensively as they broke out of the huddle.  
"If Dumbledore and the others trust him, I do too" said Harry  
"Well okay." said Ron "But if he does anything traitorous, I think we should do something"  
"Honestly Ron" said Hermione, folding her arms to her chest.  
"Well you obviously know something we don't Hermione. Harry and I saw you go with him at the Burrow. Were you not going to say anything?" he said at Hermione's faint look of shock.  
"Stop acting like a jealous prat Ron." said Ginny crossly. "Just admit that you have feelings for Hermione and quit getting into a huff every time she talks to a boy"  
Hermione looked at Ron. "Is that true Ron? Do you like me?" Ron went so red in the face that he could've put a beetroot to shame. "Well-that is, err...uh, you see..." he stammered  
"Oh brother" said Ginny. Harry rolled his eyes exasperatedly. Before Ron could bungle it up, the dessert disappeared and the other Prefects began to get up and direct every back to their common rooms. Ron saw an opportunity to delay the embarrassment and shot up like whack-a- mole.  
"Well-er, got to go then!" he mumbled and ran, with Hermione not far behind. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
"At least they made some progress" choked out Ginny. Harry was laughing too hard to even answer.  
Progress indeed. Oh brother.

* * *

As Draco and Pansy were leading them all to the common rooms, Adrian fell behind, falling in pace with Svetlana.  
"Listen, you need to feed." He whispered  
"So do you." She retorted. "And I don't consider drinking out of a flask to even come close to feeding.  
"Listen, it's our best option right now, unless you want to go around killing students" he said  
"Can we?" asked Svetlana "It would make this whole battle thing so much more easier if we pick off the bad guys now"  
"Bad guys in training" He corrected. "After 200 years one would think that you would've grasped sarcasm by now." She punched him on the arm hard.  
"Ow" he said, rubbing his shoulder.  
"Oh shut up, you're only saying that out of reflex." she said crossly. "God I would love a smoke right now"  
"And about that" he said, guiding her through the corridors. "You've got to quit that"  
She pouted "But Adri-"her words were cut off due to the fact that his finger was on her lips. They had stopped and were falling behind, but neither paid it any notice.  
"Dima" he reminded her, removing his finger.  
"Stop that, you'll ruin my lipstick" she said, pulling a tube of lipstick, aptly named Russian Red, out of her cleavage and applying it expertly.  
"Come on, we're going to lose them" said Adrian. They ran so fast that they were undetectable by human sight and only stopped a few paces away from the group without anyone noticing, and with every hair in place. Pansy was telling everyone the password.  
"Listen up! The current password is 'Acromantula.' Remember it, because no one is going to remind you. Passwords are changing every two weeks as per the new security system. Let's go." Draco saw the two of them hang back for the briefest second before they came forward.  
"Pansy will show you to your dorm" he said to Svetlana. "You can follow me Dima." He led the dark-haired boy up the staircase and into the dorm.  
"Oh, it looks like your bed is next to mine," said Draco, eyeing the monogrammed luggage at the foot of the bed that Goyle used to occupy. "I'll tell you, I'm relieved. Now I won't stay up thanks to Goyle's breathing." Dimitri laughed and sat down on the black-sheeted bed. He stared around at the stone walls, the ebony wood beds with their black and forest green sheets, and brightly burning torches.  
"Looks cozy" he remarked. Draco snorted.  
"Most days it's colder than a Dementor family reunion, even with the heating charms" he said, flinging himself backwards onto the bed and staring up at the canopy. Not being a very good host I see.  
"On second thought" said Draco "How about you take off that coat and we go into the common room?" _And away from this damn voice._ Nice try kid. You can't escape me, I'm everywhere.  
Draco made a speedy exit, followed by Adr-Dimitri.  
Sorry.

* * *

Svetlana sat on her bed, inspecting her nails, already bored with the common room and everyone in it. Most of the girls had already crowded around her bed and were asking her questions about Dimitri.  
"Is he a good kisser?" one girl said  
"Does he have a great body? I bet he does" said another  
"You're not dating him, are you?" piped in a 5th year  
"Does he like blondes?"  
"Does he like redheads?"  
"Does he like big boobs?"  
"Does he like boobs at all?" The questions kept pouring in.  
"Have you seen him naked?"  
"I want to!"  
"How did he get that scar?"  
"Was it a jealous girlfriend?"  
"Was it you?"  
"Did he _kill_ someone?"  
"Does it matter? He's so dreamy"  
"His accent! Oh, it makes me-"  
"Enough!" said Svetlana, glaring daggers at the girls. "Can I not get a moment's peace, or do I have to kill someone?" She grinned wickedly and laughed like a maniac as they scattered in fear. Scaring kids was always fun. Svetlana decided to pay a visit to Adrian before she got thirsty enough to actually kill people.  
"How do you get to the common room again?" she asked Pansy. The brunette pointed to a doorway.  
"Just through that passage" Svetlana nodded and got up.  
"Thank you" she said. She made her way down the stairs, hoping that he had it on him. The smoky-salt smell of beating hearts was getting to be too much. She almost thought she was going to lose it right then and there when the girls crowded around her. It would've been almost too easy to grab a body and press it to her own in a flood of hot blood. She ached for the swoon. She put thoughts of massacre out of her mind as she entered the common rooms and made her way to where Adrian was sitting by the fireplace, in conversation with the pale blond from the train station, Draco what's-his-name. They looked up when she came over.  
"Gde ono? _Where is it?_" she asked.  
"V stmka moyu. To khiga krasniy. _In my bag. The red book_"  
He didn't have to tell her to put it back when she finished.

* * *

Draco waited until she left to face his companion again. "Where was I?"  
"You were telling me about your manor" said the Russian. Draco shifted on the couch.  
"Right. It's one of the biggest in England, did I say that? It's got a private lake, a greenhouse, a fencing pavilion, very pretty gardens, including a 'statue' garden, as well as the standard secret passages and what not. And that's only outside." said Draco with a hint of smugness.  
"Secret passages?" asked Dima, raising an eyebrow.  
"Mmhmm. But they're centuries old. My father doesn't even know if they still work" said Draco dismissively. "What's your place like?" he asked interestedly  
"We live on the banks of the Moskva-reka, the Moscow river. Our manor dates back to the time of Tsar Alexis and was given to my family by his son Peter."  
"Peter the Great?" asked Draco incredulously "Why would you leave a place like that to come to a place like this?" Dimitri shrugged.  
"I had no choice"  
"What do you mean?" asked Draco  
"My father had just recently become the Headmaster of St. Constantine's, so he had no choice but to send me to another school, and Headmaster Dumbledore was the first to accept."  
"He became Headmaster so suddenly?"  
Dimitri smiled "Well when your old Headmaster has a heart-attack in the middle of the day, you need a speedy replacement"  
"That's true" said Draco.  
Dimitri noticed that most of the eyes in the room were directed at him, although they pretended to be engaged in activities such as chess and cards, and he pretended not to notice. Instead he sat back and lazily crossed his arms. He had long since loosened the Slytherin tie and had unbuttoned his shirt in response to his close proximity to the fire, and he saw that the little "v" of exposed collarbone had mesmerized some of the female, and even male, occupants. He cast around his mental powers casually, to figure out what was going through their minds. Daphne and her friends were visualizing what it would be like to run their fingers down his chest, and some of the boys wondered at the near glowing whiteness of his flesh. He began to feel the unmistakable gnawing pains of the thirst, which had lain dormant for most of the day, but were coming out full force. He turned to Draco.  
"If you will excuse me, I am tired and wish to sleep. This has been a rather exciting day"  
"Of course. Now that you mention it, I think it would be best if I slept as well." said Draco. They both got up and climbed the staircase to the boy's dormitory, much to the chagrin of the occupants of the common room, who in one fell stroke had been deprived of two of the handsomest boys in the house. Eye candy, if you will.  
Adrian gritted his teeth in frustration. With Draco up there as well, it would be more difficult to slake the bloodlust without it coming to his attention, and his close proximity to the warm human body wasn't helping either. The beat of his heart was like a sensually pounding drum in his ears, slow and deep, and thick with the sound of blood. Thankfully, they reached the room and Adrian was able to pull away before anything happened. Much to his relief, Draco had grabbed a towel and was heading off to the bathrooms.  
"I'm going to take a shower" he called out over his shoulder.  
"Alright" said Adrian in his accent. "I will be here." He waited for the sound of the closing door and then pulled the small overnight bag out from where it lay half under his bed and went through it quickly. Hand closing upon the book, he pulled it out and opened it. He had made it over the break, during the nights at the Burrow when Harry and Ron were asleep by cutting out a flask shape in the books pages, a sort of hiding place for it where no one would look, enchanted too, to look like a boring book of Russian proverbs when in fact the flask was there. Human eyes, magical and otherwise, would not be able to see anything amiss with it, but those with a certain blood signature could get past the charm. He pulled it out and unscrewed the top. The first swallow hit him like a bullet train, but the rest went down easy.

* * *

Draco let the hot water run down his body, relishing the heat. His corn-silk blond hair was plastered wetly to his head. As he massaged shampoo into his hair, he let himself think. He thought about his new friend, about how much he enjoyed the fact that Dimitri didn't pander to him or say anything just to make him feel better. He said things as they were and as he saw it, and he most obviously didn't care if people hated him or not. He carried around this air of cool indifference, so much like Draco himself. And yet, he was different in that regard too, because nothing in his manner conveyed arrogance, yet Draco was sure that he could be arrogant if he wanted to be. He was finding lately that things that seemed okay to him before were bugging him irrationally. Take Daphne and Pansy. Actually, Pansy was okay. It was Daphne's sugary and fake way of going about things that was rubbing him the wrong way. For the first time in his life, Draco suddenly came to the realization that all of the people he hung out with were no more his friends then Potter was, except for Blaise. For the first time, Draco knew what it felt like to be utterly alone.  
"But you aren't" said Dimitri. Draco jumped, his heart pounding like crazy. Could he read minds?  
"Sorry?" asked Draco when he'd gotten his heartbeat under control.  
"You said you were all alone, but I'm here" said the voice on the other side of the shower curtain. Draco gave a short and shaky laugh. "I must've said it aloud then" he said, running a hand through his wet hair.  
"You're fogging up the mirror by the way" said Dima amusedly.  
"Bollocks" cursed Draco as he shut off the water. "Good thing I'm done then." He felt around the outside for the hook with his towel, but realized with a sinking feeling that it was still on the counter.  
"Err, Dima are you still there?" he called out.  
"Yes, I'm here. Do you need something?"  
"Yes." said Draco, relieved. "Would you mind handing me the towel on the counter?"  
"Not at all" said the raven haired Russian. His pale forearm appeared through the curtain, holding Draco's forest green towel. Draco accepted it gratefully, his fingers brushing Dimitri's by accident.  
"You aren't cold anymore" blurted out Draco before he could stop himself. Dimitri laughed.  
"No, I think the fireplace did its job. Should I leave and give you privacy?"  
"What for?" said Draco, wrapping the towel around his waist and stepping out. "It's not like I've got anything you haven't seen before."  
Dimitri was brushing his teeth, and Draco began to do the same, acutely aware that Dimitri had regained a healthy coloring, and that his skin was not such a near-unnatural white, and he put it down to lighting in the common rooms as causing such an effect. They both spat and gargled.  
"Where is the laundry hamper?" asked Dimitri, taking off his tie and proceeding to unbutton his shirt.  
"Over there" said Draco, pointing to the basket as he grabbed another towel and began towel drying his hair. "Good lord!" he said, upon seeing Dimitri's bare chest.  
"What?" exclaimed Dimitri, looking down.  
"Is polar bear fighting the rite of initiation in Russia?" asked Draco. Dimitri ran his hands over the scars: the crescent gash on the left ribs, the three perfectly parallel claw marks on the right pectoral, the jagged cruel scar on his sternum. He looked up and smiled.  
"Black bears, not polar bears"  
"Black bears, excuse me." said Draco, rolling his eyes.

* * *

It was dead quiet in the 6th year boy's dorm, and everyone was asleep but Adrian. The fact that it was two in the morning meant nothing to him. He rolled over in bed and surveyed his surroundings, using the moonlight and his extraordinary vision to gauge the sleeping states of the other boys. Satisfied that everyone seemed to be sleeping, he got out of bed silently and moved like a ninja towards the stairs, going down them in one fluid motion and not stopping movement until he came to the dungeon entrance. Slipping quickly past the opening doorway, he stood for a moment in the dark corridor and closed his eyes. He cast out a mental net, searching for the unconscious minds of either Sirius or Remus. Finding out what he wanted, that they were in the professor's wing, he sent off in absolute silence. His supernatural condition allowed him to make not a sound nor cast even so much as a shadow and he used it to his advantage, easily slipping past Filch and the hallway patrollers, one of whom was Percy Weasley. All of a sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he spun around quickly, twisting their arm behind their back and clamping a hand over their mouth. Svetlana glared at him angrily out of the corner of her eye and he released her.  
"What are you doing here?" he hissed  
"Funny, I was going to ask you that" she whispered.  
"I'm going to find my father" he whispered back. They pressed against the wall as Filch walked past. He saw a small alcove up ahead and motioned to her with a finger.  
"You're going to get caught if you don't put a shirt on" whispered Svetlana "you practically glow"  
"Go back Sveta!" he quietly exclaimed in exasperation.  
"Fine" she hissed "I wonder how I'm going to explain how I wasn't there to Selene when you doom everyone,"  
"I'm not going to doom anyone, keep you panties on"  
"Not right now maybe, but later?"  
"Sveta" he said warningly. She was gone in a flash, and he continued quietly forward. He finally made it to the professor's wing after a few close calls and found himself in front of the door to the office that Remus had first taken him to, the very place where he had drank hot chocolate with a side of Veritiserum. He tried the doorknob. Locked. He cursed under his breath and prepared to jimmy it open with his considerable strength.  
"Ahem." The cough had come from somewhere behind him. He slowly turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing behind him, arms crossed, and wand alight, tapping her foot. "What are you doing here young man?" she asked sternly. Adrian looked sheepish as he replied,  
"Professor, I can explain."  
"Now see here, you. I might have been able to pretend that I didn't know you during Sorting earlier, but I certainly cannot pretend that I did not just catch you here. This wing is forbidden to students unless they are invited here by a Professor, and I highly doubt that your head of house gave you permission to saunter down here." She said.  
"I just wanted to talk to my fa-Professor Black. He looked a little shocked when the hat put me in Slytherin"  
She stared at him hard, and then relented.  
"Oh alright. But you go straight back to your common room." She swished her wand and muttered something under her breath that Adrian didn't care to catch, and he heard the sound of the lock turn.  
"Thank you Professor" he said as he quietly opened the door. She smiled and winked as he closed the door behind him. He made his way to his father's bedroom and knelt by the bed, in which there was a man-shaped lump.  
"Dad" he whispered. The lump stirred faintly.  
"Dad" he whispered, louder this time.  
"Whuzza?" mumbled Sirius blearily. Looking up, he saw a figure in the darkness and sat up in terror.  
"AHHHH!!!" screamed Sirius, waving his arms around. Adrian backed up in surprise and sat with his back to the wall. There was a loud crash, followed by a few bangs and a thump, and all of a sudden, the light switched on, a dishevelled Remus in the doorway.  
"AHHHH!" Sirius screamed again, partly at someone appearing in the doorway and partly at the invasion of light.  
"AHHH!" screamed Remus. Adrian clamped his hands over his ears. Remus and Sirius both finally realized who exactly had entered their room.  
"Adrian?" asked Remus, kneeling by the youth, who still had his hands clamped over his ears and had scrunched his eyes shut. Sirius climbed out of bed and touched his son's shoulder tentatively.  
"Hey, kid, are you ok?" he asked gently. Adrian uncovered his ears and opened his eyes.  
"Hey Dad" he said with a shaky smile.  
"Are you ok? What are you doing here so late?"  
"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" asked Remus. He got up "I'm getting you one" he said.  
"No, it's alright Remus" said Adrian, straightening up. Sirius stood up with him.  
"I couldn't come see you any other time without rousing suspicion, and I just wondered, if, you know..." he rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to say it.  
"If what?" asked Sirius patiently.  
"IfitsokthatI'minSlytherin" Adrian said in one breath.  
"Oh" said Sirius. "I'm ok that you're in Slytherin. Well, I'm not actually ok, I'm worried. But I'm not going to hate you Adrian. I can't, and I never will. I'm just worried about how Snape is taking it."  
"He looked furious" said Remus with a chuckle.  
"Did he?" asked Sirius delightedly.  
Adrian smiled sadly, looking down at his bare feet. "I think he was counting on me being in Gryffindor or something"  
"Like your old man!" exclaimed Sirius, giving him a one-armed shoulder hug.  
"Why the sad look kiddo?" asked Remus gently. Adrian looked up and shrugged.  
"Oh no, you aren't doing that again," said Sirius, steering him out of the door. "To the couch young man."  
When they were comfortably seated, Adrian spoke.  
"You know that I could leave here anytime I want to, and that I don't have to talk. But if you guys are going to ever trust me, and believe me, I want you to, then I guess I'm going to be talking for a while."  
"That much on your mind, huh?" said Remus with a smile.  
"You have no idea" said Adrian.  
"Start whenever you want" said Sirius.  
"Even though it's 2 o'clock in the morning?" asked Adrian, looking at the clock on the wall.  
"Absolutely" said Sirius.  
"It's not much really. Just that almost everything here is the same, but also different. It's hard to wrap my head around, and getting harder to differentiate. What I went through back there, it's taking on a dream-like quality, and I hate that. What if I wake up one day and forget? I feel as if I shouldn't. I feel like to forget would be the greatest failure of all, and this time I'm not going to." He said, looking evenly at the two of them.  
"Would it help to list things that are different or the same?" suggested Remus.  
"I suppose. I guess I can start with different things." He thought for a moment. "For one thing, I actually have a dad. Everyone's alive here. Uncle James and Aunt Lily are dead. Jenny doesn't exist."  
"Jenny?" interrupted Sirius.  
"Harry's little sister" said Adrian "It would make sense, because they would've prolly gone on having kids if they hadn't died here too." Remus nodded.  
"No one knows who I am, naturally. Voldemort's alive" continued Adrian.  
"You defeated him?!" Remus and Sirius both exclaimed.  
Adrian nodded. "Harry did really, but not without major losses. Everyone who ever stood up for the Light was either dead or insane by the end of it."  
"Even us?" asked Remus. They knew the answer by Adrian's obvious hesitation.  
"Never mind" said Sirius. "Go on"  
"This is going to sound weird, but Professor Snape...he was-"  
"Your worst enemy?" asked Sirius  
"No actually. It feels a bit odd saying this in light of the fact that the Professor Snape here hates me, but back there, I think he was the closest thing I ever had to a Dad."  
"What?" Sirius looked confused and horrified at the same time. "What about James? Did they not find you, or did the ministry hide you?"  
"I'm glad you brought that up Padfoot. I would really like to know why you spent six years with the Dursley's instead of your true blood relatives, and why the Ministry didn't hand you and Harry over to James and Lily" said Remus.  
"That's what I'd wanted to know for the longest time, same as you. I only found out the truth in seventh year. It turned out that when we were attacked, and you and Uncle James weren't there, the Dark Lord had managed to kill my mom and knock Aunt Lily unconscious. I have no idea why he didn't kill her. The only theory I've ever been able to come up with is that he was going to finish Harry and I off first, and kill her after. But when the curse rebounded off of Harry, he never got to complete his, goal, I suppose. And years later, I remember asking Harry, 'Don't you think it was weird that the Ministry got to the house before our dads did?'"  
"You mean to say that they knew?" asked Sirius incredulously  
"Well it makes sense, doesn't it? After all, the prophecy itself was in the bowels of the Ministry. If someone was dedicated enough, they would've found it pretty easily. This is sort of where it enters speculation, because Harry and I managed to piece together as much of it as made sense, because the Ministry denied all direct involvement with what happened next."  
"And what did happen next?" asked Remus, feeling as though he knew the answer.  
"They came and took Harry and me from the ruins. Nobody saw anything, and nobody protested 'because Aunt Lily was out cold. When we asked her about it all those years later, she said her first clear memory after the whole thing was waking up at Saint Mungos and being told that Harry was dead."  
"Good lord" said Remus  
"Except he wasn't, right?" said Sirius  
Adrian nodded. "That's right. He wasn't dead and neither was I. The Ministry took us from the ruins and dropped both of us at the Dursley's. They told Petunia and Vernon that Lily and James had died, and although I wasn't really related to them, they were obligated to keep me too. And just to make sure they agreed, they were paid for their trouble."  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this" muttered Sirius  
"But why? Why would they do this? And how did you get back to Lily and James?" asked Remus  
"I had no idea why, until I'd managed to locate one of the agents who had assisted in our "placement" and got the truth out of him. The ministry's motivation for lying to the world about where we were was their belief that exposing us to such strict and totalitarian muggles as the Dursley's was to ensure that we would be brought up submissive and quite amenable to the Ministry's will."  
"Jesus," muttered Sirius, running his hand through his messy black hair. Adrian glanced up and saw that the clock now read three o'clock.  
"Got to go dad. It took longer than I thought. And I'm glad you're ok with this whole Slytherin thing." he said, standing up. Sirius and Remus both enveloped the muscular youth in a tight group hug.  
"I'm proud of you kid. Now give Slytherin a run for its money" said Sirius with a roguish wink.  
"Take care Adrian"  
"You too Remus." He said, leaving as silently as he had entered. Remus looked at his old friend.  
"What?" asked Sirius  
"How in heavens name do you think he can stay so cheerfully optimistic after all he's been through?"  
Sirius rubbed a weary hand over the beginnings of bread stubble growing on his chin. "He gets it from his mother" he said with a tired smile. "Think you'll be able to sleep after that?"  
"Nope" said Remus. "Fancy a drink?"  
"Now that's what I'm talking about. Get a couple of ladies in here and we can play strip poker" said Sirius jokingly as they headed for the liquor cabinet.  
Remus snorted "Strip poker. Right"

* * *

Draco was caught in the clutches of a screaming blue nightmare, and he couldn't escape. The sheets knotted in his fists as he struggled against the pervasive tendrils of horror that rooted in his mind and took to seed like a poisonous tree, feeding off of his consciousness like a sewer-slick leech. Over and over he could hear his mother scream in pain, and her screams knifed through his ears and made them bleed in great gouts. He couldn't bear to look at her.  
"See me Draco" said mother, dream mother with the wild hair and horrifyingly blank eyes, "Look at me." And still he won't look, he can't look, he MUSTN'T look, to look would be the end, to look would be to die afresh, to kill again the part of him that died along with his mother's sanity. He refused, screwing his eyes shut tighter. He heard her sob weakly, soft hopeless sobs, and when she said again, "Open your eyes Draco," in that eerily calm voice, the fright bubbled up in him like hot lava and he realized with spasm of terror and shame that she wasn't the one crying. It's him. That weak sound is came from him, and the thought briefly passed by before it was lost in his minds confusion that, were his father here, he would've been intensely ashamed by his son's behaviour. Suddenly, he could smell roses, lavender, the same kind of floral perfume his mother used to wear, and unable to help himself, he opened his eyes. He flinched, expecting her to fly out at him, but she does not. He was in her room, her new room with the shades drawn, plunged into semi-darkness. "Draco?" he heard her voice, clear and sweet, come from the bed. He approached tentatively, inflamed with a hope that cut through the gloom like a shard of glass, hoping that it was all a dream, his mother didn't go crazy, she doesn't lie motionless, sightless and soundless, wasting away, sinking further into the plush pillows of her luxurious bed day by day.  
"Mother?" he called out to the dark expanse of the silk-sheeted bed. Something shifted within it.  
"Darling, is that you?" a thin hand reached out and grasped his gently. Her skin felt dry and warm, such a contrast to her cold and waxy skin of late. He ran a thumb over the back of her hand, feeling the veins cast in relief over the bone.  
"I'm right here mother." He said softly. She pulled him weakly towards her. He could barely see her in the half light, so deep in shadow was she, but nonetheless he bent in the general direction of her pillow. But instead of the smooth expanse of the proffered cheek, beneath his lips her skin felt like the sloughing skin of a rotting plum and for the split second before he pulled away in horror and revulsion, he could feel it _move_. A skeletal hand held his face in place with iron strength as a ray of light suddenly burst forth from the curtains, illuminating the cloying room.  
"Give your mother a kiss" rasped the rotted monster with the beef jerky face and his mother's hair. One of its eyes burst open with a sickening _plup!_ and putrid yellow pus ran down its face and into its grinning mouth.  
He screamed.  
He screamed until he couldn't breathe.

* * *

A hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him with a jolt from the clutches of his nightmare, but still he thrashed. Irrationally, he thought he was still trapped.  
"Draco, it's ok. It was only a nightmare" said a soft, accented voice in his ear. "Wake up." It took Draco a moment to remember where he was, and when he did, he immediately went limp in relief. He opened his eyes to find Dimitri's face inches from his own. He jumped in alarm and the Russian quickly drew back.  
"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been so close. I scared you." It was not a question. Draco wiped a shaky hand over his face and managed a small smile.  
"It's alright. You caught me off guard is all." He realized that he and Dima were the only ones awake "Did I wake you up?" The Russian casually itched his shoulder, maintaining constant eye contact, as if he were certain that Draco would begin to scream again. It was as if he stared to catch a glimpse of something else, a thought, or a secret perhaps. He shrugged noncommittally. "Not really. It has been difficult to adjust to time here, but eventually I will. Until then, I wake up at odd hours. It's a good thing I woke up when I did, or you would've woken up the entire dorm." He looked at Draco curiously "Do you have these dreams often?"  
"They're not always this bad." said Draco, using his shirt to wipe the sweat off of his face. It struck him all of a sudden that he was completely comfortable telling Dimitri things, things that he wouldn't even tell Blaise, no matter how close they were. He didn't understand. _Why did I ask him if I woke him? Why would I care? There's something about him…something, different. _And then it hit him. With most people, Draco was able to gauge their feelings more or less. He could tell when Professor Snape was having a bad day, even when his face gave no indication. He could tell when he pushed Potter's buttons, but then again, Potter tended to display his thoughts and feelings on his face without meaning to. The people around him, save his father, were very easy to read, except for Dima and his mysterious companion. Sometimes though, Draco saw some emotion break through the composed mask like sunlight through a dark cloud, like Daphne's attempted seduction. When Dima was at ease, he lost that cold edge to him, the sharp look in his eyes and he seemed almost, human. He shot a curious look at Dima as he was once again surveying the dormitory. Now, in the half-twilight, in the half-torchlight that washed over him like a warm watercolour painting and flickered orange in his eyes, Draco thought that he could see the innocence in him. It was an entirely new side of him that-he was sure-not many people had seen. It was an interesting window into his soul. The Russian turned his blue-green eyes back to Draco.  
"You don't look very well" he said  
Draco laughed softly. "No, I suppose I'm not." Dima got up and held out his hand to Draco.  
"Come with me." He said with a smile. Draco looked at him hesitantly and Dimitri laughed. "I won't bite you, I promise."  
"Why not?" said Draco, accepting his hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. Dima looked at him seriously.  
"Chocolate or vanilla?"  
"What?"  
"Pick one" Draco fancied that he could see a glimmer of mischievousness in those blue-green eyes.  
"What for?"  
"Don't make this difficult Draco" said Dima in mock anger. Draco laughed.  
"I'll take both"  
"That's the spirit. Let's go"  
"But what about the watch?" asked Draco. Dima smirked and held up his wand.  
"Leave them to me."  
Draco tittered nervously. This was crazy. He didn't even know this kid.

* * *

They crept along the hallways, Dima taking the lead, and Draco holding his wrist. Oddly enough, Dima wasn't wearing a shirt, but Draco had been too disoriented to bring it up. _Perhaps he just likes to sleep without a shirt on. Even though it's freezing cold down here? _asked a voice in his head. _Shut up._ he thought stubbornly.  
"I can't see a damn thing down here" he whispered to his shirtless guide.  
"As soon as we round this corner, we can take the staircases" came the answer.  
"Staircases?" Draco whispered back "Where the hell are we going?"  
"You'll see" was all he said. Just then, a high beam of light arched over them, and Draco froze like a deer caught in headlights. Someone was beginning to round the corner, but Dima didn't waste any time. He spun around, grabbed Draco, threw him over his shoulder and ran. Draco nearly yelled, it had happened so fast, but the fear of discovery compelled him to bite his tongue. Instead he opted to shut his eyes, which meant that he was not able to see exactly how fast they were going. After a brief moment, Dimitri put him back on his feet and he opened his eyes.  
"We're here already?"  
"I told you we weren't too far off. I just ran for the last bit," panted Dima, leaning on his knees.  
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.  
Dimitri just waved him off and pointed to the descending staircase in front of them. "You first" he wheezed.

* * *

As Draco began his descent, he failed to notice that Adrian had abruptly stopped panting and seemed to show no effect of their rather long trip past Filch and down the hallway. Thankfully for him, Draco had shut his eyes, giving Adrian the opportunity to go as fast as he needed to without having to explain everything, which was a blessing in itself; no need for anyone to see or hear anything suspicious so early in his plans. He saw that Draco had left the foot of the stairs and was wandering blindly down the corridors, and with a quick burst of speed, Adrian caught up to him from the topmost stair and tugged on his arm gently.  
"Here" he said. Draco couldn't see it, but when Adrian tickled a pear resting in a bowl of fruit, the portrait turned into a warmly lit doorway. They could smell baking on the air.  
"Quickly!" Adrian shoved Draco into the opening and went in after him. It sealed up as they came through. They could see a veritable army of house-elves attending to their tasks. Some washed dishes in hot sudsy water; others scrubbed the floors, others the stoves. Mixed in with the chatter and noise was the pleasant smell of burnt sugar.  
"We're in the kitchen?" Draco asked in disbelief.  
"Haven't you ever been here?" asked Adrian.  
"Not really. I've heard of it though." He turned to his housemate. "How do you know where this was?" he asked a tad suspiciously. Adrian was caught off guard, and he used the first lie that popped into his head.  
"I got a tour over the break, courtesy of your lady professor with the serious expression and the glasses. I do not remember" he said, making an effort to sound apologetic. Draco nodded his head.  
"McGonagall you mean. Yeah, she is serious. I don't think anyone's ever seen her look anything but serious. It's like her face stuck that way."  
A creature with an oversized head and a nose like a carrot bound up to them and bowed.  
"Would Gerda be getting anything sirs?"  
"Do you have ice cream?" Adrian asked the cheerful house elf. She jumped enthusiastically.  
"Oh yes yes, we has ice cream! All sorts: pistachio, peach sorbet, chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, anything and everything! What would young sirs be wanting?"  
"Ummm….may I have the chocolate chip cookie dough?" Adrian asked. Turning to Draco, he asked,  
"What do you feel like?"  
"I dunno. Butterscotch Ripple I suppose."  
"Alright then. Chocolate chip cookie dough and a butterscotch ripple please Gerda" he said kindly. The stocky house elf pinked with pleasure.  
"Right away sirs." She whistled and twirled her finger, and in a flash there was a small table and two chairs set up for them in the corner. Two house elves brought the ice cream to the table and set the bowls gently down.  
Adrian looked over at Draco and waggled his eyebrows. Draco grinned and asked Gerda,  
"I don't suppose you have any chocolate syrup or whipped cream, do you?"

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep. She lay awake in bed, tracking the movement of the moon from her window, waiting for sleep. She had tried everything, even counting sheep and reciting all of Hogwarts: A History, to no avail. She sighed from among her sheets. _I might as well curl up by the fireplace with a good book. No sense in lying here for hours._ She grabbed her copy of Famous Witches and the Wizards That Loved Them by Winifred Wartbobble, already dog-eared from constant reading, and made her way to the warm common room. To her surprise, Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Ginny were already seated around the fireplace, discussing something quietly.  
"What are you lot doing down here at-" she looked at the clock on the wall, "2 o clock in the morning?"  
Fred scratched the back of his head sheepishly, Ginny yawned.  
"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Harry. Hermione plonked herself on the nearest couch in despair.  
"No. What're you talking about anyway?"  
"Um, well," began Ron, careful to avoid eye contact.  
"What ickle ronniekins here is trying to say, we're talking about what went on during Sorting today." Said George.  
"Did you see Snape's face?" exclaimed Ginny with a giggle.  
"Did you see Sirius's?" said Ron.  
"Ok 'Mione. You need to tell us exactly what's going on." said Harry. The group drew closer to the couch.  
"I don't know exactly what's going on though." Said Hermione exasperatedly  
"You know more than we do" said Ginny  
"What I'd like to really know is, how come he's in Slytherin?" asked George.  
"Oh, I forgot, you didn't know" said Hermione. She motioned for them to lean in closer. "He's in Slytherin so that he can gain their trust and hopefully get them to our side" whispered Hermione.  
Ron looked shocked "He told you that?"  
"No" said Hermione, "but it's what I would do. It just seems like the logical thing to do."  
"That's brilliant" said Harry slowly. Fred and George caught on quickly.  
"It's genius!" they exclaimed. Ron and Ginny looked confused.  
"Is everyone getting it but us?" she asked  
"Everyone knows that Slytherin and Gryffindor hate each other" said Harry  
"Right. It's almost expected" said Ron  
"So what would happen if Slytherin and Gryffindor became friends?" asked Fred  
"Hell would freeze over." said Ginny  
"Besides that" said George  
"If Slytherin and Gryffindor became friends, and we got at least half of them on our side, we could win" said harry excitedly.  
"Possibly." said Hermione. "We could possibly win."  
"Well-" said George  
"Those are good enough odds for us" finished Fred.  
"But he won't be able to do this alone. If this thing is going to work, he's going to need our help." Said Hermione.  
"What do we have to do?"  
"Easy Ron. We have to become friends with him, publically, so that everyone else will see."  
"Our house is going to hate our guts"  
"Not necessarily. Besides, this'll help Adrian more then he'll know" said Hermione quietly  
"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.  
"Think about it. If a Slytherin all of a sudden becomes friends with Harry, you-know-who isn't going to kill him; he's going to love him. It's something he never thought of before: befriend the enemy. Adrian's going to be skyrocketed into the inner circle faster than you can say Salazar. This way, we can pass on fake information and he will be able to stop them from the inside."  
"There's one thing you haven't thought of Hermione" said Ron.  
"Oh?"  
"If we pass on fake information, you-know who is going to find out and kill him anyway. And everyone keeps forgetting about Snape."  
"Shit"  
"Son of a banshee!"  
"Fu-"  
"Stop!" said Ginny "I don't think Snape'll rat on him, do you?"  
"Who knows?" said Harry. "Snape hates Sirius. He'd prolly worship _me_ if I killed him. Imagine what he'd do to his son."  
"He wouldn't dare." said Ginny. "He'd prolly make potions living hell for him though."  
"Let's hope he's a genius with a cauldron" said Fred.  
"Amen to that" said George. "And if he gets too git-y, I'm sure we have a little….something."  
Fred grinned wickedly. "Now that you mention it, just wait 'til you see what I made last night….."  
There were audible groans all around.

* * *

**I've redone chapter 1, and will be redoing chapters 2, 3, and maybe 4 right after I post the big 1-oh. **

**First day of classes coming up.  
Is Snape going to make it a living hell?  
Is Daphne going to seduce the pants off of Adrian?  
Is Adrian going to find out what exactly Micheal and Gabriel want him to do?  
Is Svetlana going to kill the bad guys and call it a day?  
More importantly: Chocolate, or Vanilla?**


End file.
